Our Special Little Place: A Sailor V Story
by Manwards
Summary: As young Aino Minako begins on the path towards being a Sailor Senshi, a smitten girl's first love comes to an abrupt end. But everybody deals with a broken heart in a different way...
1. Prologue

He was late. 

Pacing back and forth rapidly on the grass, the girl flicked up her wrist to examine her watch. He really _was_ late. A good ten minutes. She sighed heavily and continued to pace, wheeling around every few seconds. Her shoes produced a rhythmic squeaking sound against the wet grass. It had rained as the evening had drew near, and the branches of the trees that lined the small, secluded little park in which she paced still dripped with moisture.

Where was he? They'd agreed on eight o' clock. It was almost a quarter past now. It was risky enough coming out to meet him at this time. If her mother happened to enter her bedroom and discover the room empty and the window open, her life would experience a serious drop in quality.

Not that it mattered. She just wanted to see him. And he'd said he wanted to see her, to talk about something important.

So, all that being said, where _was_ he?

_Squeak, squeak, squeak_.

Wheeling around again, she glanced down at her watch. It was officially a quarter past eight now. It was the first time he'd ever showed up late. She told herself to relax, and stopped pacing. It wasn't doing her any good.

There was a small bench – their bench – behind her. She brushed the worst of the rainwater from the wood with her hands, shook them to dry them, and then sat down. A grimace crossed her face. It was still cold and damp, but at least she wasn't stalking up and down like a caged animal any more.

The park was beautiful at this time of day, just on the cusp of nightfall. This particular area, accessible only from a steep stone staircase nestled between a pair of tall trees, was especially wonderful. You could see rooftops stretching on for miles, all the way to the horizon, where the sun was slowly descending, illuminating the sky with a magnificent pink hue. This was her place.

In all the years she had been coming here, she had never seen another person. It was odd – even a secluded place is not entirely invisible – but she couldn't recall another face ever having been there. There were occasionally birds in the trees, and a cute white cat with a bald patch showed up every now and again, usually on the prowl for a tuna sandwich. But no people.

She scanned the little area. Her trees. Her grass. Her bench. Her sky.

Of course, it wasn't just hers any more. She had brought her boyfriend up here, shortly after they had met. It had become their place from that moment on. Her cheeks flushed red as she recalled their many dates at this very spot. Laying out a little blanket on the grass and enjoying a picnic, holding hands while sitting on the bench and staring out at the sky, talking for hours about everything that mattered, and more importantly, everything that didn't.

She had heard that the first love was the most intense, but she had never imagined it would be this wonderful. _He_ was wonderful. _He_ was also late.

She stood up again and resumed her brisk pace, back and forth in front of the bench.

"Shizuka?" came a voice from behind her.

She span around, startled. Her heels squealed. A smile crossed her face as she saw the owner of the voice, and she clasped her hands together, holding them in front of her chest.

"Yukio!" she sighed, relief coursing through her. He'd finally shown up. A little late, perhaps, but that didn't matter. She was sure he'd have a reason. Maybe he'd brought her a present! She did her best to calm herself and stepped over to him, taking his hands in hers. They were cold. She rubbed the backs of them with her thumbs and smiled up into his face. He didn't return it, and his deep brown eyes broke contact with hers.

"Sorry I'm late," he said, his tone difficult to pinpoint. Shizuka shrugged. "That's okay! I didn't even notice!" she lied. He stared down at her blankly for a moment, and then loosened his hands from hers and turned, heading towards their bench. She watched as he sat down, her smile diminishing a little. He was acting strange tonight. First he'd been late, and now he was barely speaking.

Slightly concerned, she walked over and sat beside him. He didn't seem to notice. He was staring out at the row of houses, like skipping stones to the sun, as she had done a few minutes earlier. He seemed to be deep in thought. Shizuka waited for him to say something. He didn't, and after a minute or so, when she was convinced he was not going to begin the conversation, she spoke.

"Yukio… is something wrong?"

His head slowly turned to face her. Their eyes met. There was something heavy in his gaze. It worried her even more. After a moment or so, he turned his head away again. Only when his eyes were firmly trained on the distant horizon did he speak. His voice was low, and he spoke slowly, as if choosing each word very carefully.

"Shizuka… I asked to see you tonight because there's something we need to discuss."

She nodded. He'd said that on the phone, earlier. Now that she thought about it, he'd sounded strange on the phone, too, although it hadn't registered with her until just now. She waited for him to continue, and after a few moments of protracted silence, he did so.

"It's…" he said, before falling silent again.

Shizuka's concern grew. Whatever he had to talk about, it was clearly very difficult for him.

"You know you can talk to me," she said comfortingly. "About anything."

"It's about us."

She frowned, confused. The smallest shred of fear crept into her mind, but she pushed it away. "What do you mean?" she pressed. To her chagrin, a little of that anxiety had made it into her voice, too. She waited for his reply.

"We… I…" he murmured. "I don't think we should date any more."

The next few minutes were hazy, like some kind of horrible dream. There was an apology, a hastily worded explanation as to why they should no longer see one another, and then he was gone. Shizuka didn't really recall any of it. She had just sat on the damp bench with wide eyes and her hands twisted together like the knotted roots of an ancient tree.

When the shock subsided, she found herself lying on her stomach on the sodden grass before the bench with her head in her hands, weeping. The sun continued to sink, and the light began to flee the sky. The breeze quickened, shaking the tops of the trees. The groaning branches mingled with her sobs, creating a terrible song of sorrow that filled the little hidden area.

_Shizuka..._

The crying girl, startled, almost choked on her sobs. Coughing, she twisted around on the grass to locate the source of the sound. She thought it had been a voice. Perhaps it had just been the wind? Nobody had ever been up here. She wiped her red, puffy eyes with her sleeves. She imagined her clothes were in a terrible state by now, but it was the least of her concerns. She scanned the small area. It was empty. She was still alone. It must have been the wind after all.

"Shizuka…" 

This time, she knew she had heard it. She craned forward, looking for the figure. She could see it now. It was standing at the top of the stone staircase that led back down to the main area of the park. It was hidden by the deep shadow of the trees on either side, and the dwindling light in the sky enhanced the camouflage.

"W-who are you?" Shizuka asked, her voice shaky and unstable.

"_Is… your heart… broken?"_ asked the shadow. Shizuka shuddered. It was an unpleasant voice. It sounded like a moan, like the wind in the trees.

"_Your heart…"_ groaned the voice again. _"Is it… broken?"_

"I…" replied Shizuka, before dissolving into a fresh wave of tears. Of course it was broken. Her first love had just left her, alone on a cold evening. She hadn't even heard his reasons. She'd never even kissed him. Not ever. She'd been sure he was the one. Her one true love. And now she was alone.

"_There, there… child…"_ creaked the voice, in a tone that was supposed to be comforting. _"I know a way… to make it all better… I know a way to… make the pain… go away…"_

Shizuka looked up at the shadow through tear-streaked eyes. "H-how?" she croaked.

"Are you… sure you want… to know?" 

Shizuka nodded, the movement dislodging teardrops from her cheeks that were lost in the wet grass. She'd never felt pain like this. It felt like her heart was going to physically smash into a million pieces.

"_Then all you have to do…"_ said the shadow, _"is open your heart to me…"_

The last of the light left the sky, and night descended upon the little hidden place. 


	2. Chapter One

"Mina?"

There was no response from the sleeping figure before him.

"MINA!"

The girl's brow furrowed and a low mumble escaped from her throat.

Artemis sighed. It was the same every morning. His large blue eyes flicked over to the alarm clock. It was already fifteen minutes past eight. If she didn't get up, she'd be late for school for the third day in a row.

His eyes flicked back to her. She was fast asleep again, her long blonde hair splayed across the thick white pillows. It wasn't a good omen. If she couldn't show the initiative to get up and go to school on time, then what hope did she have of accomplishing her mission?

_I guess that's why you're here, Artemis_, he told himself. On the bedside table, the large hand on the alarm clock – a peculiar bird shaped object – ticked the time to 8:17. Artemis glared at the prone body before him. This was hopeless. There was only one way she was getting up.

He hopped over her, onto the soft white pillows, and placed one of his paws on the lake of yellow hair that had pooled on them. He rotated his paw a few times, firmly entwining it in the stream of hair. Then he yanked his paw back with all the strength he could muster.

For a few moments, nothing happened. In the silent seconds that followed, Artemis seriously considered the possibility that she wasn't actually going to wake up for anything. He was proven wrong as the girls eyes snapped wide open and a piercing, shrill shriek assaulted his ears.

He allowed himself a smile as the teenager scrambled out of bed with the speed of a cheetah and the grace of an elephant. She tottered backwards, almost collapsing into a large stuffed animal – one of many in the room – and then managed to right herself. She glared over at the white tomcat, who sat amid the scattered pillows and rumpled covers on the bed. Her blue eyes were sharp as knives. The yellow crescent-moon symbol on the white fur of his forehead was accented by the sunlight that streamed in through the partially open curtains.

"ARTEMIS!" she cried, her voice trembling with rage. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!"

Artemis nodded over at the clock, by way of explanation.

The girl's neck darted around. She stared at the clock for a moment, and then fixed her eyes back on him, her hands resting on her hips. "Why didn't you tell me that instead of ripping out my hair?"

"I tried to tell you. Several times. You wouldn't wake up," replied the cat.

The girl grumbled something under her breath and began to unbutton her orange pyjama top. Halfway down, she glared at Artemis again, who was still watching her.

"What are you doing, watching me undress!" she barked. "_Ecchi!_"

Artemis rolled his eyes and hopped from the bed to the ground. He walked past her, heading for the bedroom door. He pulled it ajar with a paw, and turned back. "I'll wait for you outside," he said. He left the room.

"Stupid cat…" she muttered. It wasn't her fault she needed a lot of beauty sleep, was it?

Artemis looked up a few moments later as the front door opened and she came charging out, bag in one hand and the remnants of a piece of buttered toast in the other. She rushed over to the wall, upon which Artemis stood, swallowed the toast, wiped the crumbs from her mouth and then looked up at him. She shot him a bright grin. "Ready when you are!" she said brightly.

_Think what you like about her_, Artemis thought to himself as he walked alongside her. _She certainly is a cheerful girl_. With the exception of the odd bout of temper when faced with a terrible prospect like school or homework, she was perpetually in a good mood. Right now, she was smiling and swinging her bag back and forth in time with her footsteps, humming musically. Her long blonde hair streamed out behind her, being caressed by the mild morning breeze. A large red bow was tied at the back. Her school uniform – the standard _sera fuku,_ or sailor suit, comprised of a white blouse with a red tie and a long blue skirt – hung lightly on her slender body.

_Aino Minako_, thought the white cat as they turned a corner. _Or rather, the soldier of justice, Sailor V._

Minako suddenly froze in mid-step, one foot lifted off the pavement. Her expression was one of sudden realisation. She'd had an epiphany of some sort. Artemis shook his head clear of the hope that it was in some way connected to her duties as a soldier and asked the obvious question.

"Something wrong, Mina?"

"I… I…" stuttered Minako. "I forgot my homework!"

Artemis hung his head and sighed, deeply. Beside him, Minako wheeled around and sprinted back the way they'd came, quickly rounding the corner and disappearing out of sight.

It really wasn't a good omen, thought Artemis sadly.

* * *

After delivering Minako safely to school – roughly 20 seconds before the bell rang – Artemis wandered back out onto the street. He had a few hours to spare before it was time to pick her up and make sure she didn't stop off anywhere on the way home and squander her allowance. Not that it really mattered if he was there or not. If she wanted to spend all of her money in the Game Centre, or on a CD by the idol-of-the-week then there was no way to stop her.

Then, what to do? He felt a little helpless. Somewhere out there were dark forces, preparing to strike. Even as he strolled through the bright sunshine of a perfect morning in Juuban, they could be amassing their power. But, as unfair as it seemed, there was really nothing that could be done at this moment in time. For now, his mission was to guard Minako and set her upon the path to becoming a soldier, to help her realise her true objective, and there wasn't much he could about that while she was at school.

Still, it couldn't hurt to look around. There hadn't been any disturbances for a couple of weeks now, and so far Minako had handled herself well, considering her inexperience. Still, that was no reason to become complacent.

He set off toward the shopping district. If anything were to happen, it would probably occur in the most populated area of town. Reaching a crossing, he carefully examined both directions for oncoming traffic. Seeing nothing, he sprinted lightly across the road and continued on down the quiet street.

* * *

After a length of time that seemed almost infinite, the clock finally made it's way to lunch time. As the clock struck twelve, Minako's expression changed from one of intense boredom to a gleaming grin as if a switch had been flicked inside her head. She quickly stood, hurling her books into her bag and charging out of the room while everybody else was still getting out of their seats.

She dashed out of the building and into the open, filling her lungs with a deep breath of fresh air. She scanned the area for a familiar face, and quickly located one. It belonged to a girl sitting on a nearby wall, in the shadow of a thick tree. Minako took off towards her, waving as she went.

"Hiii, Hikaru-chaaan!" she called.

"Hi, Mina!" came the amicable reply.

Minako skidded to a halt beside the wall and climbed up to sit beside her. They exchanged the usual pleasantries before the conversation moved on to more important things.

"I think Tohru-kun and Kotono-chan are dating!" gossiped Minako, lowering her voice and leaning conspiratorially towards her. Hikaru raised a hand to her mouth and giggled. "You know," she whispered, "I heard that too. Somebody saw them holding hands!"

They continued in this manner for a while, snacking on their lunches as they chatted. Minako finished hers first, the early morning scramble not giving her chance for anything more than a single slice of toast. They sat in silence for a moment as Hikaru finished the remainder of hers, a shiny red apple.

A slight breeze picked up, ruffling their collars and tousling their hair. Minako's flowing blonde wave was a world of difference from Hikaru's short, dark curls. Their feet, wearing identical school-standard white socks and black shoes, swung back and forth in time.

Taking one last bite of the apple, Hikaru turned to Minako, who was carefully adjusting the red bow in her hair. "_Ne_, Mina?" she said. "Did you hear about the new TV series that's starting tonight?"

"What is it?" asked Minako, tugging gently on the bow to make sure it was secure.

"It goes behind the scenes of the latest idol craze that's sweeping Japan," replied Hikaru. "The Love Heart Boys. You heard of them?"

Minako's eyes lit up. "The Love Heart Boys!" she exclaimed excitedly. "I LOVE THEM!"

The sound of rapidly flapping wings was heard from the tree above them, and a bird, startled by the sudden shriek, hurriedly soared off into the sky. Hikaru watched it go, and then turned back to Minako. "Mm, it's on TV Asahi tonight at eleven. I'm going to ask my parents if I can stay up. What about you?"

She waited for a reply, but none came. "Um, Mina? You listening?" she asked doubtfully.

Minako wasn't. Deep within her large blue eyes swam the image of three handsome young men, with flowing hair and seductive smiles. She giggled happily as she heard their voices in her head. "_Minako-chan… would you please, please go on a date with me?_" asked Mibae, the most charming of the trio. "_No, no!_" cried Kaichou, the lead singer. "_She's coming with me! I've written a song about her beauty!_"

Unfortunately, before Seiteki – the stunningly gorgeous and handsome one of the group – asked her to embark on a romantic cruise with him, Hikaru waved her hand in front of Minako's eyes, bringing her back to reality. She mourned for a moment, before excitement took hold of her again. She turned to Hikaru.

"Did you say eleven?" she asked. Hikaru nodded. Minako frowned, cupping her chin thoughtfully. "Hmm… that's pretty late…" she mused, "and I really should make an effort to wake up earlier tomorrow morning…"

Hikaru nodded understandingly, knowing full well that Minako would stay up late to watch it anyway. She sighed as Minako slipped back into her fantasy. "The Love Heart Boys…" she purred, gazing dreamily off into the cloudless sky. "I wish one of them was my boyfriend… or better yet… all of them…"

"Mina… aren't you a little young for that kind of talk?" asked Hikaru.

"Ahhhh…" replied Minako.

Hikaru shook her head, unable to conceal a smile.

* * *

Artemis had trawled every inch of the shopping district, but he hadn't seen a single thing that could even qualify as suspicious. He was almost disappointed. Although he knew he'd change his mind later, it seemed like the waiting was the most intolerable part of it all. He looked around at the crowd of people, busily making their way back and forth. Mothers and fathers, walking with their bright-eyed children. Lovers, young and old, window-gazing with linked arms. Friends laughing and joking with one another. All of them carefree, happy people, who had no idea of the events that were going to take place in the near future.

He'd been growing more and more anxious by the day, not just about the inevitable approach of the darkness but also about the safety of those he cared about. He included Minako in that group. He hadn't known her for long, and they'd had their fair share of differences, but her occasionally stubborn exterior didn't hide her pure heart, her youthful innocence or her kindness. What if something were to happen to her? What if his training wasn't adequate? What if…

He shook his head. As difficult as it was to just ignore it, there was no sense in worrying needlessly. Whatever was going to happen, it would happen in time. Until then, all he could do was do his best and have faith in the others.

His paws ached. He'd been on the move for hours now. He passed an electronics store, with a row of televisions displayed in the window, in ascending order of size. The same image – a news program showing a balding newsreader with glasses, chattering silently – was displayed on them all. Glancing at the time, shown in the corner of the screen, Artemis saw that he still had an hour before it was time for Minako to finish school.

With an hour to spare, and worry still circulating in his mind, Artemis decided to head for Shiba Park. It was a quiet, serene little place that he visited often when he had some time to himself. In particular, there was a little area secreted at the top of a stone staircase, partially hidden by trees. It was a great place to think, or just to relax. Up there, surrounded by trees, a view of the town before him and the bright sun above, his worries seemed so distant. It was always deserted, save for one pleasant young girl who occasionally visited with her boyfriend. He liked her. She and her friend often had picnics, and she always made sure he got a tuna sandwich or two.

Taking one last sweeping look around to satiate his curiosity for another day, at least, he set off in the direction of the park.

* * *

It was the last lesson of the day, and Minako was bored.

Not just bored, but monumentally bored. The teacher was blathering on about something totally pointless, as usual. Minako didn't even know what it was, she'd stopped listening after about a minute. She sighed and stared down at the paper before her. She'd spent the first half of the lesson doodling.

She admired her handiwork: a caricature of herself in a bikini, being fawned upon by the Love Heart Boys. Talented Kaichou, gazing at her adoringly as he played his flute. Sweet-talking Mibae, massaging her feet and listing the many ways in which she was wonderful. And gorgeous Seiteki, posing by the pool, his toned muscles glinting in the hot sun. Smiling, Minako pencilled love hearts above their heads.

"Aino-san?" came a voice from the front of the room. The teacher's voice.

Minako's head darted up. "_H-Hai, sensei_?" she asked, trying but failing to sound casual.

"Would you care to share your work with the rest of us?" he asked sternly.

Minako's face flushed a deep red and she quickly flipped the page over. She turned on her most powerful, charming smile and aimed it at him. "I'm very, very sorry, _sensei_," she simpered. She trained her blue eyes on his, trying with all of her energy to make them sparkle like diamonds. It worked. His frown softened slightly. "Well, just pay attention," he said. "I know it's the final lesson, but you're still here to learn."

Minako nodded vigorously. "I know, I know!" she enthused. "It won't happen again."

He nodded, and then continued with the lesson. Minako, sitting upright in her chair and smiling brightly, heard about four words before her mind did a U-turn and she found herself being pampered by the Love Heart Boys again.

* * *

Stretched out in the sun, in the centre of the little garden, Artemis yawned. It was such a beautiful day. The sound of birdsong came from the trees above, blending with the faint bustle of the town below to create a pleasing atmosphere. He was alone, but not isolated.

He lay on the soft grass for a while longer, indulging himself in a daydream. He saw himself playfully chasing a sleek, slender female cat. Her fur was jet black and her eyes a magnificent ruby-red. Upon her forehead, she bore the same golden crescent-moon shape that he did. The chase finally ended as he pounced, and they rolled for a short distance before coming to a stop, their limbs and tails entangled.

"_Luna…"_ murmured Artemis dreamily.

"_Artemis…"_ replied the fantasy black cat.

Their noses touched, her whiskers tickling his cheeks, her flowery scent filling his nose, and then-

He was pulled back to reality by the sound of footsteps nearby. He quickly stood. Somebody was ascending the flight of stairs that led up to the little garden. He backed away, his instincts telling him to be on his guard. His eyes narrowed, and he waited.

He relaxed as he saw who it was. It was the tuna sandwich girl, the friendly one. She slowly stepped onto the grass and began to slowly walk forward, into the centre of the area, towards him. Artemis examined her curiously. There was something different about her. She usually bounded up the steps with the energy and enthusiasm of a kitten, but today…

Even beneath the bright afternoon sun, she seemed obscured by shadow. Her head was lowered and he couldn't see her face. She neared him. He waited, watching her intently. Even though he knew and liked her, something in the back of his mind was warning him to be careful.

She stopped a few feet away, and slowly lifted her head to look at him. Artemis shuddered as their eyes met. He'd seen her only a week previously, but in that time something had changed. Those eyes weren't the same vibrant, youthful eyes that he knew. They were cold, lifeless eyes. Her eyelids were swollen and red, as if she'd been crying.

She stared at him for a moment, until he turned his head away. He couldn't look into those eyes. It was like looking into an abyss. He could feel himself being swallowed up, his energy being ebbed away.

"Hi there, kitty," she said. Artemis felt a chill go up his spine. Her voice, like her eyes, had all the warmth of an arctic dusk. She kneeled down and rubbed his head. Her hands were like ice. Artemis backed away. This wasn't the friendly tuna girl he knew. Something terrible had happened to her.

"What's wrong?" she asked flatly.

Artemis recalled that it was almost time to collect Minako from school, which brought another point to his attention. Why wasn't this girl at school too? Was she playing truant? Or was she ill? Was illness making her act this way? Artemis doubted it. He didn't know of any illness that caused a person to exude such a cold feeling.

What should he do? It was almost time to meet Minako. He couldn't trust her to walk home alone, not with the Crown Game Centre on the route. Her allowance would be gone within minutes and he'd have to listen to her complain for the next two weeks. At the same time, he didn't feel comfortable leaving this girl alone. If something bad had happened to her, could he just walk away? What if she became dangerous?

He felt a twinge of guilt in his stomach. She was only a child, and on any other day she was one of the sweetest and friendliest girls he'd ever met. And thus far, the only things she had done were walk over to him and pat him on the head. It was possible he was overreacting, transferring his worries about the future onto her.

_No_, he thought. There was definitely something wrong here. It wasn't in her actions, although they were unusually stunted and lifeless by her usual standards. The air around her was cold, despite the pleasant weather. He wasn't imagining it.

What to do?

"I'm glad you're here, kitty," said the tuna girl, breaking the silence. "I…"

She stopped before saying anything else, as if deciding against it. Her eyes begin to glimmer. Her voice wavered as she spoke again.

"Go away, kitty," she said. "Please go away."

Teardrops began to spill from her cold eyes and roll down her cheeks.

"Please," she said again, apparently struggling to maintain her composure. "Please go away."

Artemis took a step towards her, his concern for her overriding his caution. "_Nyaaan_?" he mewed. The tuna girl's tears began to flow more rapidly. Her voice broke, rising into a miserable wail. "Please!" she cried, shaking her head from side to side. "Go away! Go!"

She sank to her knees before him and began to sob hoarsely. Artemis examined the wretched girl with dismay. He felt helpless. A minute, perhaps two, passed before she managed to speak again.

"Please, kitty…" she whimpered, her voice barely above a broken whisper. "Please… I don't want you to die…"

Artemis' eyes widened as her hands curled into fists. He backed away. She focused her cold eyes on him. They still swam with fresh tears. "I… I'm going to hurt you… please go away…"

Artemis stood, rooted to the spot, torn between fear for himself and concern for her.

"GO AWAY!" she screeched, her voice a dreadful cocktail of rage and despair. Artemis yelped with fright as she lunged at him, her clenched fists bearing down. He managed to dive out of the way just as she crashed on to the patch of grass where he'd stood. She began to crawl towards him, miserable sobs still emanating from her throat. Artemis backed away quickly, before turning tail and breaking into a run.

He dashed down the steps, taking them two at a time, and then ran along the path that led to the park's entrance. He shot through the gateway and on down the street, finally coming to a halt several blocks later. He looked back to see if she was still following him. There was no sign of her.

Artemis hesitated. She was in urgent need of help, that much was clear. He didn't know what had happened in the last week, but it must have been serious. He'd never seen as much as a frown on her face before today, and he certainly never would have thought she could be violent. Perhaps he should go back for her?

But what could he do? He couldn't talk to her, and the image of her crawling towards him, crying, her hands curled into fists with the intent to hurt him, was still fresh in his mind.

Perhaps she just needed to be alone. That must have been why she'd gone up to the little garden in the first place. Something bad had happened, and she had gone to the park to be by herself. She'd seen him there, and her anger and pain had taken hold of her. Perhaps she'd lost somebody close to her? Extreme distress could do any number of things to a person. Perhaps the cold aura he had detected from her was an indication of that? It was a possibility.

After another minute, he forced himself to keep walking. He'd go and pick Minako up. The tuna girl could be by herself for a while. There was every chance that was exactly what she needed. He'd come back to the park tomorrow, just to make sure.

The image of her haunting eyes crept into his mind again, and he quickened his pace.


	3. Chapter Two

Shizuka watched through tear-streaked eyes as the cat with the bald spot charged down the stairs and out of sight. She crawled a few feet further before collapsing, her nose hitting the grass with a thud. A wave of pain surged through her head. She began to violently sweep her face from side to side against the ground. She could feel her nose bleeding. The taste of dirt was in her mouth. The blades of grass stung her swollen eyes. 

She thrashed about on the grass for a minute or so, the harsh jerking of her neck gradually slowing, until finally she lay still. She rolled over to lay on her back and stared up at the sky. The bright sunlight seared her bloodshot eyes and she squeezed them shut in protest, forcing the last few teardrops out of hiding.

She lay there for a few minutes more, feeling the slow, gentle flow of blood from her right nostril make its way down her cheek. As the seconds passed, she began to calm. Her breathing slowed. The insistent throbbing in her nose quietened.

"_Shizuka…"_ whispered a nearby voice.

Her eyes burst open and she lifted her head from the grass.

"_Shizuka…"_

Shizuka trembled, her eyes filling with tears again. She knew the voice.

"_Shizuka…"_

"SHUT UP!" she screamed. She brought her hands up to her head and clamped her palms over her ears. She pushed as hard as she could, so hard that it felt like her head was going to crack down the middle. She couldn't hear the voice now. That was all that mattered.

"_Shizuka…"_ came the voice again, undiminished by her attempt to silence it.

"NO!" cried Shizuka, pushing even harder. She began to cry again, the hot tears stinging her eyes and carving an uncomfortable trail down her dirty cheeks. A soft chuckle, akin to a lonely breeze, slowly wound its way through her mind. It felt like a dull knife being twisted slowly.

"_Now, now, child…"_ soothed the voice. _"Why didn't you want… to hurt the cat?"_

Shizuka didn't reply. She kept her hands pressed against the sides of her head, despite the futility of it.

"_The cat… do you think it cared?"_ asked the voice mockingly. _"Do you think a cat knows anything… about love? Do you think a cat… understands… how you feel? Nobody… understands how you feel… nobody… except me…"_

Shizuka shook her head fiercely. "I didn't want to hurt it!" she cried. "It didn't do anything!" Her voice was faint and distant, owing to her hands, still forced against her skull.

"_But… why not?"_ asked the voice again. _"You could have… killed it… beaten it… kicked it… stamped on it… spat on it… extinguished it's pathetic life... wouldn't that feel… good?"_

Shizuka's cries intensified and she began to grind her palms against the sides of her head. Her skull felt like it was about to fracture. Her mind was on fire. The voice continued.

"_You are… a weak girl…"_ it whispered. _"A weak… pathetic girl… and you wonder… why he left you?"_

It laughed discordantly, an unnatural sound that forced the pain in Shizuka's head to breaking point. She pulled her hands from her sore ears and curled them into fists. "STOP IT!" she cried, slamming a fist into the side of her head. A jarring thud echoed around her skull.

"_Pathetic…"_ scolded the voice.

"SHUT UP!" cried Shizuka, swinging her fist again, this time connecting with her mouth. The force of it caused her head to jerk back and slam against the ground. She groaned as a thin trickle of blood began to force its way from her lower lip, mingling with the discharge from her nose. Her vision wavered in front of her. The trees around her became dark, blurred figures, looking down on her, shaking slightly with silent laughter.

"Please… leave me alone…" she mouthed silently. "Please… just leave me alone…"

The voice, mercifully, said nothing.

Shizuka lay on her back for a while, her eyes closed, feeling the sting of her swollen face, until the ebb and flow of the pounding inside her head lulled her to sleep.

* * *

Artemis' eyes flickered open and he glanced nervously around the room. His sleep had been tempestuous at best, the shadowed eyes of the tuna girl swirling around his mind like a fog. It was dark, the only light being that of the silver moon outside filtering through the curtains. He was alone. The soft bed was empty, save for himself. He and Minako had gone to bed at around ten, to ensure that she woke up for school the next morning.

As he glanced around the room, several pairs of small, blind eyes stared back at him silently. Minako's stuffed animal collection. Artemis shuddered. They were too similar to the tuna girls' eyes for his comfort. He looked up at the bird-shaped alarm clock on the bedside table. It was light enough to make out the time - a quarter past eleven.

He pushed the blankets aside and hopped off the bed to the ground, padding across the carpeted floor towards the door. It was slightly ajar. It was probably a good idea to find Minako and bring her back to bed, or she'd never get up for school. He refused to acknowledge the real reason he didn't want to be alone.

Downstairs, Minako sat cross-legged before the television, dressed in her pyjamas, staring with a smile at the glowing screen. It provided the only light in the room. The volume was turned down so as to be just audible.

The door behind her opened and Artemis entered. Minako, enthralled in her show, didn't notice. He headed across the room and sat down beside her. "Mina?" he whispered. Minako almost jumped out of her skin with surprise. She scrambled backwards, eyes wide, until they settled on the cat and she relaxed, putting a hand to her chest and exhaling loudly.

"Artemis! Don't sneak up on me like that!" she said, relieved rather than annoyed. "I thought you were one of my parents! If they find me down here I'll be grounded for a month."

Artemis nodded. "Quite rightly," he said. "What are you doing down here at this time anyway?"

He glanced over at the TV screen. Three handsome young men were singing a terribly generic song about infatuation as a crowd of adolescent girls screamed hysterically at them. He rolled his eyes. _Typical Mina_.

"Oh, I, um…" stuttered Minako, her brain cells firing at full speed to come up with a reasonable explanation for her watching television in the middle of the night. Try as she might, one didn't arrive. She grinned, a bead of sweat slowly making its way down her forehead. "You see," she began, "it's just that… um…"

Artemis frowned, struggling to contain his amusement. "Mina… need I remind you of a little thing called 'school' tomorrow?"

Minako shook her head. "No, no," she replied. "This show is finished in a few minutes anyway. I'll go straight back to bed, and I can still get a lot of sleep before I have to get up. There's nothing to be worried about."

"Then why did you sneak out of bed?" asked the cat.

"Well… I knew what you'd say, and…" said Minako before trailing off and lowering her eyes guiltily. Artemis smiled kindly. The light from the television set made his round blue eyes shine in the darkened room.

"Mina, while I don't approve of you sneaking downstairs to watch a show like this, I wish you'd be honest with me. We're partners now. There should be no secrets between us."

Minako raised her eyebrows. "Well, if that's true…" she began, a malevolent gleam in her eyes, "then why don't you tell me exactly where you came from and what my true mission is, hmm?"

She enjoyed watching him squirm. "Mina… you see… it's…" he stammered uncomfortably. "It's not that I don't _want_ to tell you, but… I just don't think you're ready yet."

Minako shrugged. "Fine, fine," she said, her tone one of mock disappointment.

She took her position before the television again, crossing her legs beneath her. "Now, just let me watch the last few minutes, okay? I'll be right up after that. I promise."

The memory of those cold eyes slid down his spine like ice, and Artemis shook his head. "Actually, I think I'll stay here with you. Do you mind?"

He climbed onto her lap and curled up, turning his attention to the screen, where one of the idols was signing an autograph for a girl with a face so red it looked like a ripe tomato. Minako looked down at him, puzzled. "Um, of course not," she replied, surprise apparent in her voice.

"I just thought I'd keep an eye on you," said Artemis matter-of-factly, upon hearing her tone. "To make sure you go right up afterwards."

Minako shrugged and placed one of her hands on his back, gently stroking his soft white fur. He'd been acting strangely all day, ever since he'd picked her up from school. She suspected it had something to do with "the enemies", whoever they were. He had so many secrets. She didn't know anything about him, really. But when he was curled up on her lap like this, she felt safe somehow. She trusted him.

"Artemis…" she said softly, gently rubbing his back. "Underneath all those lectures, you're really just a pussycat."

She giggled at her own joke. Curled up comfortably on her lap, Artemis smiled too.

* * *

In a dark room, not too far away, another girl in her early teens lay on her stomach, on an untidy bed. The night breeze infiltrated through the open window, teasing her dirty hair. She'd been lying there for hours.

She'd awoken in the park and ran home as fast as she could. She'd locked herself in her bedroom when she'd arrived and hadn't moved since. Her mother and father had been concerned, but they couldn't help her. Nobody could. Nobody could understand what she was going through.

Shizuka rolled on to her back and sighed miserably. Her bare feet were cold, but she didn't seem to be able to muster up the energy to climb under the covers. Ever since Yukio had left her a couple of nights ago, she hadn't been able to do anything at all. She'd thought that going back to her special little place in the park would have helped, but then she'd seen the bald spot kitty and…

She fought the tears that were never more than a second away from spilling and turned on to her side, clutching a pillow tightly. A scene played over and over in her head, the same image in an endless loop, as it had done for the past two days. No matter how many times she'd gone over it, she just couldn't make sense of things. Why had he left her? She'd done everything right.

"_You know why…"_

She tried to ignore it. _Think of something happy_, she thought. She strained to think of anything. The only happy times she could think of were all with Yukio, and he…

"_He finally… gave up on you…"_

The tears began to flow again. She squeezed her eyelids together tightly and hugged the pillow, praying for them to stop. They didn't.

"_He saw you… for what you really are…"_

Shizuka began to rock back and forth, sobbing gently, her face buried in the soft white pillow. The bedsprings beneath her creaked in time with her movements.

"_Ugly… pathetic… useless…"_

Why wouldn't it stop? Why wouldn't it stop!

"_Nobody even cares… nobody…"_

"Please… please…" Shizuka whispered, her voice only one iota above silence. "Please… just leave me alone…"

It had left her alone earlier, in the park. Why?

The dull ache in her mouth and nose reminded her. The voice had stopped when she'd hurt herself. It had felt good to release a little of the pain and anger that coursed through her veins like acid.

Slowly, she released her grip on the pillow and curled her hands into fists. She held them up in front of her face. She willed herself to bring a fist crashing down into her aching nose, but it wouldn't move. She held it there for a few minutes, before it finally flopped back down to her side uselessly.

She began to cry harder . She didn't want to hurt herself again. She'd accidentally looked in the mirror when she'd entered the room and what she had seen had frightened her badly. Her nose and mouth were swollen and raw. Her face was plastered with dirt and dried blood, and her eyes…

What had scared her most when she'd looked in the mirror was her eyes… her eyes had been so dull and blank… like there was nothing inside them…

She didn't want to hurt herself, but she didn't want to hurt anybody else either. She thought of the bald spot kitty again. She'd lost control for a moment. It had ran away, but what if she had caught it? What would she have done? She felt sick at the thought.

There was only one other time when the voice wasn't with her, and that was when she was asleep. She didn't have nightmares. She didn't have dreams either, not since a couple of days ago. Just blissful nothingness, a darkness that covered her all over. Nothing could penetrate it. Not even that voice.

She sat up and climbed off the bed. Slowly, she walked over to the door and unlocked it. It opened with a loud creak. She glanced out into the dark hallway beyond. The lights were off and the only sound was that of silence. She guessed her parents would be asleep, it was almost midnight. The door to the bathroom was at the opposite side of the corridor.

She crept slowly towards it. Her parents room was the first door on the right.

"_They're in there… asleep…"_

She stopped in front of it and stared down at the doorknob.

"_Your father never liked Yukio…"_

Shizuka frowned. Her hand reached out to touch the knob. She closed her hand around it.

"_Your parents are so happy… they don't know how a broken heart feels…"_

Shizuka turned the doorknob, slowly, so as not to wake them.

"_They don't… understand…"_

She turned it all the way to the right.

Behind her, her bedroom door creaked loudly and shifted a few inches, manipulated by the cold breeze that still circulated the room. Shizuka's eyes opened wide and she darted her head around to look in the direction of the sound. She stared at the motionless door for a few seconds, and then turned back. She looked down. Her hand was still gripping the doorknob to her parents bedroom tightly. She quickly jerked her hand away as if it had been burned. She backed away, slowly, until her back was pressed up against the wall. What had she been doing?

She shook her head and looked down at the end of the corridor. The bathroom door waited for her. It seemed like miles away. Slowly, quietly, she began to creep towards it again. She focused her mind on it. The bathroom door was the only thing that mattered right now. She wasn't going to stop walking until she reached it.

She counted her footsteps. _Ni. Shi. Roku. Hachi._

And then she was stood in front of it. She reached out a trembling arm and gripped the cold brass doorknob, and twisted it. She pushed, and it opened before her. She stepped into the room, wincing as her feet touched the ice-cold tile. She fumbled around for the lightswitch and flicked it on, illuminating the tiny room. She blinked a couple of times, the light assaulting her tear-filled eyes, and then headed over to the medicine cabinet beside the bath.

She approached it. A wretched, ugly girl walked forward to meet her. Shizuka stared down at the floor, avoiding looking at the swollen face and those lifeless eyes. She reached up and opened the mirrored door of the cabinet, and scanned the row of bottles inside. She knew they were in there somewhere.

With her door safely closed and locked again, Shizuka climbed back onto the bed and examined the small bottle in her hand. She briefly ran her eyes over the _kana_ printed on the label, uninterested.

She unscrewed the lid, reached inside, and plucked one of the round pills out. It was tiny. She placed it on her dry tongue. It took a moment to swallow it. Her throat was coarse. She hadn't had a drink for hours. It finally went down, and she looked back at the bottle in her shaking hand. Maybe she should take another, just to make sure?

She reached into the bottle and retrieved another of the little pills. She stared at it for a few moments. A sudden wave of drowsiness washed over her, and she groaned softly. She managed to place the bottle on the table beside the bed before her eyes began to force themselves closed. She smiled sleepily. She'd won, for one night at least.

"_Pathetic girl…"_

_Bye-bye, voice_, she thought through a layer of pink fuzz. _Bye-bye, room. Bye-bye, Shizuka._


	4. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

Minako hit one more serve – tossing the ball into the air and slamming it over the net – and then finally decided she'd had enough for one day. She crouched, breathing hard with exertion. Her forehead was slick with sweat, dampening her blonde fringe. She reached up and wiped it away with the back of her aching hand. She'd been practising for almost two hours now.

It was late afternoon, the first onset of evening just beginning to make its presence felt in the sky outside the gymnasium's open door. Minako remained in her crouched stance for a moment longer until her breath returned, and then stood and slowly walked around to the other side of the long net that stood in the centre of the large room. A dozen white volleyballs were scattered across the shiny hardwood floor. She began to gather them up, returning them to a large basket next to the net, humming a Love Heart Boys tune absent-mindedly.

Her thoughts turned to Artemis. He'd been acting strangely recently. There was something troubling him, but he hadn't said a word to her. She hadn't asked him outright, because she knew he'd just deny it. Despite his speech a couple of nights ago about honesty, he clearly didn't think it was necessary to share everything with her.

She was sure he had his reasons, but it irked her a little that he didn't consider her mature or responsible enough to share it. Sure, she was young – her fourteenth birthday would be coming up in October – and she had a fondness for the finer things in life, namely idols and volleyball, but she didn't see how that mattered. She was a normal thirteen year old girl, in addition to being a soldier of justice. The way Artemis spoke sometimes, it was as if there was a choice to be made, and she was always making the wrong one. Minako didn't see why she couldn't be both a normal girl and a soldier.

She retrieved the last of the volleyballs and headed toward the net to deposit it. Her eyes focused on the ball in her hands. She rolled it over in her palms slowly, her mind still on the Artemis problem. She didn't see the boy.

With a yelp, she collided with him in mid step. She stumbled backwards, her trainers squeaking like a marker pen on a whiteboard, before losing her footing and landing hard on her tailbone on the solid floor. The volleyball in her hands freed itself and bounced merrily away towards the corner of the gym. Minako groaned painfully, rubbing her backside.

"Aino, are you okay?" said a voice from above her. Minako looked up to meet the eyes of the voice's owner. It was a boy, her age, wearing the same uniform – a green sweatshirt and skin-tight shorts – that she wore. His handsome face, topped with dark-brown hair, wore a look of legitimate concern.

"Asai-kun?" asked Minako, recognising him. Tsutomu Asai. He was in the same year as her and he also played volleyball, although he was only on the reserve team. She'd seen him practice a few times and he seemed like he had the potential to make the team full-time if he tightened a few things up.

"You alright?" he asked. Minako thought for a moment, before a smile crossed her face. "I suppose I'll live," she said. He extended a hand towards her, and she took it in hers. His hand was sweaty, like hers, although he didn't look like he'd been practising. She stood up and their hands parted. Minako dusted herself down. It occurred to her that she probably looked terrible. Her hair was all over the place, her face and hands were red, her sweatshirt was soaked with sweat. Not the best time to literally bump into a cute boy.

"You should watch where you're going, Aino," said Asai with a friendly smile. Minako blushed slightly, embarrassed. "Sorry… I was thinking about something," she replied. She rubbed her lower back gingerly. It'd be bruised tomorrow, she knew it.

"Anything important?" asked Asai curiously. Minako shook her head. "No, not really."

A couple of seconds of silence passed between them, before they both spoke at the same time. A syllable in, they both stopped. "Please, you first," said Minako politely. "I was just going to say that I saw you practising," said Asai. "You looked great."

Minako raised her eyebrows slightly. "I mean, the serves," he added quickly, breaking eye contact with her. "The serves looked great. Um, what were you going to say?"

"Oh, just that you're improving all the time too," replied Minako. "You'll be in the first team soon."

Asai shrugged modestly. "I sure hope so," he said.

"_Nyaaan!"_

The pair turned towards the door to see the source of the sound. A white cat sat in the open doorway, its tail sweeping from side to side. The golden crescent moon on its forehead shone prominently in the gym's overhead lighting. It looked over at Minako with intense blue eyes.

"Oh, Artemis!" she exclaimed.

Asai headed over to him and crouched down on one knee. He put a hand on Artemis' head and stroked him, smiling. "Cute kitty, Aino," he remarked. He stood and turned back to her. A grin crossed his face. "Does she always come and pick you up from school?"

Artemis frowned. _She? _Did he look like a female?

Minako put a hand to her mouth and giggled. "Yes, she does!" she laughed. "In fact, we do everything together! We're like sisters!" She headed over to them and crouched down to pat the cat on the head. "Isn't that right, _onechan_?" she asked childishly.

Artemis glared at her hatefully.

Minako stood and turned to Asai. "I suppose I'd better go," she said. "I don't want to be late home".

"Sure," he said. "I'd better get a little practice in before they close the place up. _Jaa._"

He headed off towards the basket of volleyballs, giving her a brief wave as he went. She returned it with a smile, and then turned and started towards the locker room. Artemis caught up with her. He waited until they were safely out of hearing distance before he spoke, his tone distinguishably annoyed.

"Like sisters, are we?"

Minako giggled. "Oh, Artemis, lighten up. It's an easy mistake to make. You do have a girls' name, after all."

Artemis' frown morphed into a full-fledged scowl.

* * *

Showered and dressed in her school uniform again, Minako stepped out of the school building and into the yard outside. Artemis was waiting for her by the school gates. He flicked his tail irritably as he saw her approach. "You took your time," he grumbled as she arrived beside him. Minako shrugged nonchalantly.

They set off for home. The evening was just beginning to set in and the sky was a pleasant orange. Minako took a deep breath and sighed happily. She was tired, but it had been a good day. The streets were quiet, no more than a couple of cars visible at any one time.

They walked in silence for a while. Artemis seemed to be deep in thought, as he had been for a few days now. Minako stole glances at him as they walked. There was definitely something wrong. She wondered if it was anything serious. Walking along the quiet streets on a pleasant evening, it was difficult to imagine that there were evil beings out there, lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike.

Minako decided to take the direct approach. Her subtle hints hadn't turned up any clues.

"Artemis?" she asked. The cat looked up at her. "Um, I was just wondering…" She pushed the tips of her index fingers together, nervously. "It's just that… well, you seem a little… troubled these last few days. I was just wondering if anything was wrong?"

Artemis seemed to think for a moment, and then he shook his head. "No, nothing's wrong," he said firmly. Silence descended upon them again. It lasted for about five paces before Minako stopped and spoke again, frustration seeping into her usually pleasant voice.

"You know, Artemis, you say we're partners, but you keep things from me. You won't tell me who or what you are, or where you came from, or even what my true purpose is."

Artemis opened his mouth to say something, but Minako spoke over him, building up steam. She'd been wanting to say this to him for a while now, and now that she'd started she was going to finish. "I guess you have your reasons, but I don't think it's fair. Something has been bothering you for days and you just won't tell me! Do you think I'm too immature?"

"Mina-" managed Artemis before he was cut off again.

"Or perhaps I'm not responsible enough?" she said, folding her arms across her chest. "Well, if you don't trust me then I don't see why I should trust you either. You can just find somebody else to be Sailor V."

She stormed away dramatically, exaggerating her footsteps for maximum effect and holding her chin up. She waited for him to come charging after her, tears flowing, uttering heartfelt apologies and begging for a second chance. After five stomps, it didn't come. After ten, she began to worry.

"Mina! Wait!" came his voice from behind her. She stopped and grinned to herself. It worked every time. She heard the pitter-patter of his paws grow nearer and put on her "angry" face again. _Aino Minako_, she thought to herself, _famous actress_. She stifled another grin and turned to him, frowning.

"Mina," said the cat. "You're right. I should be more honest with you."

Minako raised her eyebrows. "Then, you'll tell me why I was chosen as Sailor V, what my true mission is, and where exactly you came from?" she asked, a touch of excitement sneaking into her tone.

Artemis shook his head. "No, but I'll tell you why I've been bothered this week."

Minako debated whether to throw another tantrum, but decided against it. She doubted he'd budge for anything. He was probably working for some weird organisation and was sworn to secrecy, or something. Whatever the case, she'd made a little progress at least.

"Go on," she ushered. "What is it? Some kind of evil monster?"

"No, nothing like that," said Artemis. "It's a girl."

Minako resisted the urge to grin for about a second, before it burst free, threatening to swallow her face. "ARTEMIS!" she cried, scooping him up in her arms and hugging him tightly. "This is wonderful! You've fallen in love! I should have known from those forlorn eyes and restless dreams! After all, I'm an expert in the matters of love!"

Artemis rolled his eyes. _Big words for a girl who's never actually had a boyfriend_, he thought. "Mina, put me down," he said wistfully. She placed him back on the pavement, and he shook his head. "I'm not in love," he affirmed. Minako winked at him. "Sure you aren't!" she said, clearly humouring him. "If you're not in love, then why do you keep saying a girl's name in your sleep? Who's Luna, hmm?"

The very fur on Artemis' cheeks blushed crimson. His tail stood on end. He shook his head furiously. "No, no, no! You've got the wrong idea! Luna… Luna is…"

He reigned himself in, regaining his composure. "Luna is top-secret information," he said calmly. "Need to know basis only."

Minako looked disappointed. "But I need to know!" she whined.

Artemis sighed. "Mina, we're getting off course. You wanted to know why I've been pre-occupied lately. Now let me tell you."

Mina nodded. Artemis opened his mouth to speak, and then noticed something, in the corner of his vision. There was a person standing at the end of the street, a good distance away, watching them. The man, middle-aged and dressed in a suit, was close enough for Artemis to be able to see the expression on his face. It was one of curiosity.

Artemis looked up at Minako and lowered his voice. Luckily, the man was too far away to have actually heard him speak, but that didn't stop him being cautious. "Mina," he muttered. "This probably isn't the best place to hold a conversation."

Minako glanced around. She quickly spotted the unwelcome observer. Her eyes widened and she giggled nervously. "I think you're right," she said out of the corner of her mouth. "Come on, let's go."

They continued on the path to the Aino residence, which unfortunately meant passing the nosy stranger. His eyes remained on her suspiciously. Minako smiled innocently as she passed him. "I was just telling my cat to be more careful," she explained. "He's very stupid and I'm worried he'll be hit by a car." She grinned down at Artemis, revelling in the fact that he couldn't speak a word.

The man said nothing, instead shaking his head and walking away in the opposite direction. Minako lowered her head and sighed. "He probably thought I was crazy," she muttered.

"Probably?" sniped Artemis.

* * *

That evening, a troubled expression darkened Minako's face as she settled into bed. Artemis had told her all about the tuna sandwich girl at the park, and her attack. It was no surprise that he'd been worried. Minako was worried too. Something terrible had happened to this girl, a young girl like herself. She had to help her somehow.

Beside her, Artemis shifted restlessly. He was having trouble sleeping too, she guessed.

"Artemis?" she asked quietly. "Mm?" he replied, not turning to face her. Minako put a warm hand on his back and stroked his fur gently. "I was thinking about what you said, about the girl. Do you think it would be a good idea if I went with you? To the park?"

Artemis said nothing, and for a few moments Minako thought he'd fallen asleep after all. Then, he shifted over to face her. "It could be dangerous," he replied. Minako smiled. "That doesn't matter! I'm the soldier of justice, Sailor V, remember? If anyone can help a poor girl in need, it's me, right? Besides, this could be something to do with those mysterious enemies you keep mentioning."

Artemis thought for a moment, and then smiled. He was impressed. Perhaps there was hope for her yet. He should have thought of this sooner. It was possible that the girls behaviour was the work of the enemy, but even if it wasn't, Minako was just about the friendliest girl he'd ever met. That in itself could be a blessing. If she'd suffered some kind of crisis, then a friend like Minako was exactly what she needed.

He licked Minako's palm, and she giggled. "I'll meet you there tomorrow, after school, okay?" she said. Artemis nodded. "Hey, don't worry," she said reassuringly. "Everything'll be just fine."

"Thank-you, Mina," he replied gratefully, before turning away again. He closed his eyes. He felt better already. Beside him, Minako closed her eyes too. Tomorrow, they'd get everything straightened out. With that in mind, she quickly drifted to sleep.

* * *

The next day, Artemis stepped through the iron gates at the entrance of the park. It was another beautiful afternoon. A clear blue sky populated with cake-shaped clouds bestowed a gentle breeze upon the green treetops all around. Approaching the foot of the staircase that led up to the little garden, Artemis' high spirits wavered a little. It wasn't that he was afraid, but the memory of the girls' dead eyes was not an easy one to shake. Still, Minako would arrive shortly, as school had finished a good five minutes ago.

He began to ascend the stairs. He was ashamed of it, but part of him hoped that she wouldn't be there. He chastised himself for such a thought. He'd come to help her, after all. He steeled himself and hopped the last step, emerging into the secretive little garden.

Sure enough, she was there. She was sitting cross-legged on the grass a short distance away, with her back facing him. Artemis hesitated for a moment. Should he wait for Minako to arrive before approaching her? The question was nullified when she turned her head to look over at him. Her face was pale and devoid of expression.

"Bald spot kitty," she said quietly. Artemis approached her slowly. "_Nyaan_," he said, by way of greeting. As he approached her, the cold feeling he had experienced before surrounded him. He noticed that her clothes were ruffled and dirty, and her hair was unkempt. "I won't hurt you," muttered the girl dully. "I'm so sorry about last time. I let it get the best of me."

She reached out and stroked his head slowly. Her hands were like blades of ice, and Artemis pulled away. The girl sighed, letting her hand drop to the floor weakly. "I don't blame you for hating me," she said, sadly. "Everybody hates me. Yukio hated me, that's why he dumped me. It's right. I'm a useless, hateful girl."

Artemis frowned. That was the second reference to "it" she had made. He was distracted from his thoughts by the sound of a whimper. He looked over at her. She was crying, her right hand pressed against her eyes.

"I… I can't do this any more, kitty…" she murmured, her voice trembling. "It just won't stop… the voice… it won't leave me alone… it wants me to hurt people… I…"

She let out a sob, before regaining enough composure to speak again. "I don't want to hurt anyone… so I… I…"

She pulled up one of her sleeves, exposing her right arm. Artemis' eyes widened with horror. Her arm was patterned with deep pink lines. They looked like cuts made with a razor blade. She pulled her sleeve back down and began to weep, managing to choke out an occasional word.

"It… always… always… comes… back… I… I… can't…"

The last fraction of control she had gave way and she collapsed forward onto the grass, sobbing wretchedly and beating her fists up and down weakly. Artemis watched, stricken. He looked desperately back at the entrance behind him, hoping to see Minako appear. She didn't.

"_Nyaaan!" _he mewed, feeling useless. The girl's sobs gradually subsided, and she sat up again. She looked down at him, her eyes glassy. "Thanks, kitty," she whispered. She reached into a pocket and produced a small bottle. She began to unscrew the cap slowly, speaking gently as she did.

"The only way to make it stop… except for hurting… is sleep…"

She finished unscrewing the cap. Artemis managed to read the label on the bottle. His eyes widened. They were sleeping pills. She poured the contents of the bottle – at least a dozen pills – into her palm and gazed down at them.

"I just want to sleep…" she murmured.

She raised her hand up towards her face. Artemis reacted quickly, leaping towards her. He sunk the claws of both of his front paws into her palm. She screamed and jerked her hand away, a reflex action. The sudden movement caused the tiny pills to scatter. They disappeared into the grass. Artemis was thrown clear too. He twisted in mid-air and landed on his feet. The girl screamed again, a horrific sound of anger and despair in equal measures. She fell to the ground and began to tear up handfuls of grass wildly, desperately searching for one of the lost tablets. Her breathing grew heavier and heavier until she was sobbing again.

She turned to him, her eyes black with rage, her hands curled into fists. "YOU!" she screamed through her tears. She advanced on him, mangled sobs clawing out of her throat. Artemis backed away quickly, desperately eyeing the stairway. There was still no sign of Minako.

Without warning, the girl collapsed to the ground. To his horror, she began to beat her face against the grass savagely, screaming wildly and thrashing her limbs about. Wordless cries of agony erupted from her. Artemis felt sick to his stomach. He'd never felt so helpless in his life. What could he do to help her?

Suddenly, she stopped. Her frantic motion and her anguished cries ceased as suddenly as they'd begun. She lay still. Artemis approached her cautiously. Had she hit her head too hard and passed out? Moving nearer, he could see that her nose and mouth were bleeding quite badly. He looked over at the stairway again. Where was Minako?

He yelped loudly as an icy hand wrapped tightly around the end of his tail and squeezed, hard. He struggled wildly as he was lifted up into the air and then hurled with incredible force across the length of the garden. He managed to land on his feet, but the velocity caused him to stumble and he crashed back to the ground. He quickly regained his footing and span around to face his attacker.

Someone or something was approaching him. It had the vague shape of a person but he couldn't make out any specific details. The figure was blurred and indistinct, like a smudged photograph. It hurt his eyes to look at it. He backed away and scanned the ground for the tuna girl. He couldn't see her. The little garden was empty save for himself and the shadow. He gasped as realisation dawned on him. This thing _was_ the tuna girl!

Walking blind, he stumbled and lost his balance. In only a second, he felt the icy hands on him again. He struggled against them, but to no avail. It was too strong. He was lifted up into the air again, until he was face-to-face with it. He felt it make eye contact with him, although it didn't have facial features. He jerked his head away. Looking at it made his heart hurt, like it was trying to claw into his mind.

He shuddered as it chuckled. The sound seemed to come from every direction, not limited to a specific place. It penetrated his mind slowly, a dull blade sinking deeper and deeper. "_Little kitty…_" came a whisper. It chilled him to the core. He shivered, terrified.

_Mina… please… hurry… _he thought desperately.

He felt a cold hand clutch his throat, and then everything went dark.


	5. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

Minako charged headlong down the street, her arms pumping by her side. She cursed her luck. On the one day that she had somewhere to be following school, she'd been given detention for forgetting to do her homework. She'd managed to escape after only a few minutes on the condition she stayed behind tomorrow instead, but it would still make her late to the park. After her big speech about responsibility, this was the last thing she needed.

She dodged past a couple of kids and rounded a corner at full tilt. Her cheeks were flushed red. She'd look quite pathetic arriving in a state like this, but slowing down would only make her later still. The park was in sight now, just a couple of blocks away. She shifted up another gear and raced towards it.

She screeched to a halt at the entrance and doubled over, wheezing heavily. She was by no means an unfit girl – volleyball practice kept her in good condition – but racing across town would take the wind out of anybody's sails. After a minute her breath began to return. She adjusted the bow in her hair, smoothed down her uniform, took a deep breath and stepped through the gates.

The stone staircase between two trees that Artemis had told her about was right near the entrance, as he'd said. She approached them, her mind working at full speed to prepare a suitable excuse. She couldn't say she'd been given detention, that would just make it worse. Perhaps she'd spotted a cat up a tree and had saved it? Nah, he wouldn't buy that.

It was too much to hope that he didn't realise she was late. She didn't really understand how he even knew what the time was. He was a cat, it's not like he carried a watch around. But then, most cats couldn't talk either. He was an oddity.

She reached the top of the staircase and glanced into the clearing. Her eyes widened. Someone was standing with their back turned to her. She couldn't really see who it was. Despite standing in direct sunlight, a shadow seemed to be cast over them. She glanced around for Artemis. She couldn't see him.

The figure turned slightly, and Minako gasped. The shadowy figure, whoever it was, was holding the white tomcat by the throat. She couldn't see any movement from him. Surely he wasn't…

The severity of the situation hit her and she snapped out of her surprise. She reached into her skirt pocket, retrieving an object and holding it high above her head. It was a golden pen with a circular top, upon which was a yellow symbol – the Kanji character for "Metal Star", signifying the planet of Venus.

"Venus Power!" cried Minako. "Make-Up!"

A beam of light erupted from the pen and spiralled down around her, enveloping her body completely. Her school uniform melted away, and for a moment she stood naked on the warm grass, her body glowing with energy. There was a flash of light, and when it cleared she was dressed in a new outfit. It was a sailor suit, like her school uniform, but smaller. Her knee-length blue skirt was now a miniskirt with red trim, her blouse sleeveless and revealing an inch of her midriff.

Her shoulders were adorned with pads, and the bow on her chest was a deep pink in colour. Her hands wore white gloves that stretched up to the elbows, and her feet wore stylish shoes, heeled and with an ankle strap, a dark blue in colour.

Her face turned towards the centre of the garden. Her eyes, now hidden behind a red mask, narrowed as she focused on the shadowy figure that still accosted her companion.

"DON'T MOVE!" she boomed, in a voice as loud and commanding as she could muster.

The shadow turned to face her. Like the rest of its body, the face was somehow hidden. Not a single facial feature was visible. It seemed to examine her for a moment, and then hurled the cat across the clearing. Artemis hit the ground in a heap and lay still. The shadow took a step forward. "Who… are you…" it asked. Its voice was no higher than a whisper, but somehow it was audible from every direction.

The intruder smirked and flicked a hand through her golden hair, sending it billowing out behind her. The red bow atop it stood out like an exclamation point. The hand moved to her hip and she placed her right foot forward.

"Sailor-suited pretty soldier of love and beauty!" she announced. "Codename: Sailor V!"

The shadow made no reaction. Sailor V pointed a finger at it.

"I will bring the divine punishment of love down upon you!" she boomed.

The shadow didn't move, and it didn't appear to be overly threatened by her proclamation. Sailor V waited a few moments for a response. She didn't receive one.

"Don't you know it's rude not to introduce yourself?" she asked irritably.

A chilling laugh filled the air all around her. V shuddered at the sound of it. It sounded like a child's dying breath.

"You… amuse me…" said the shadow, an uncomfortable pause linking each word. "Since you ask… I am Zetsubun… I take joy in the despair… and hopelessness… of the weak creatures that populate this narrow space…"

Sailor V frowned. "Then we are enemies," she said.

The shadow chuckled again. "Love… beauty… such wasteful, brief things…" it spoke coldly. "Concepts created to mask the harsh reality… in time, love dies… and then, there is only despair…"

V's frown deepened and she shook her head angrily. "You're wrong! If you stand in the way of a young girl dreaming of love, then I can't forgive you!"

She charged at the shadow and leaped into the air, aiming a flying kick at its head. "Sailor V Kick!" she cried as she sailed towards it. A moment before she made contact, the indistinct shape of a hand darted up, catching her foot and swinging her around before letting go again. V soared onwards, her momentum carrying her further and further, until she slammed to the ground hard.

She got up as quickly as she could, her breath knocked out of her. As she rose to her feet, she spotted Artemis only a short distance away. She ran towards him and crouched, placing a hand to his chest. It rose and fell softly. He was still alive, but he appeared to be unconscious. Her anger rose again and she turned towards the shadow. It watched her from across the clearing.

"You won't get away with that!" she yelled, and charged again. The shadow was standing in front of a tree. V skidded to a halt in front of it and aimed a kick as hard as she could muster. Her foot wheeled around and struck the figure, only to pass straight through it and slam into the thick trunk of the tree behind it. V yelped with pain and lost her balance, landing on her backside. It was still sore from her collision with Asai the day before, and she moaned miserably.

"Foolish… child…" came the voice, cold and sharp as blades of ice. A hand reached down towards her. Sailor V squirmed as she felt it grip her shoulder. She put up as much resistance as she could as she was slowly lifted into the air, but it wasn't enough to make a difference. Her body felt numb. She screamed as she was hurled across the garden, crashing to the ground again. She lay in a heap. Her limbs felt heavy and useless.

The grass around her was devoured by shadow. The figure was standing over her. V shivered. Her bare legs were cold. The shadow above her seemed to overpower the warm sunlight. Her eyes widened as it raised its hand. The faint shape of a fist distorted and elongated, fixing into the vague shape of a blade.

"Foolish… child…" breathed the shadow again. The blade came tearing down towards her, and Sailor V willed her body out of entropy. She rolled to the side an instant before the shadow's appendage crashed down to the grass. A deep impression was left in the ground she had occupied only a couple of seconds earlier. The grass around the cut instantly began to dry and blacken.

Sailor V rolled backwards and stood up shakily. She barely had time to react as the blade slashed at her again. She ducked, and then hopped backwards to avoid a third strike. The ill-defined edge of the blade appeared to pass right through the bow on her chest.

It attacked again, aiming for her stomach, and V jumped to avoid it. She dived right over the dark figure and landed behind it. Seeing her chance, she quickly span around and aimed a kick at what she guessed was its lower back. It connected this time, and the shadow stumbled forwards, taken off-guard.

V charged after it and tackled the figure to the ground. It fell face-first to the grass, and V quickly planted a knee in its back and placed her hands on its shoulders, pushing down as hard as she could and pinning it to the ground.

She gasped in surprise as the shape under her suddenly lost substance. She began to sink through it like quicksand, until finally she was crouched on the grass beneath. The shadow floated away from her. The grass where it had lay, where V now crouched, was shrivelled and dead.

Sailor V rose to her feet as the shadow did the same. It's head was turned towards her, and while it had no eyes, or any other features that revealed emotion, V somehow knew that it was angry. The air around her had grown even colder. Her shoulders shivered.

"Insolent… child…" came the voice again, the malice in its tone sharpened to a fine point.

"Your time in the sun is over!" announced Sailor V. She closed her eyes and summoned all of her power. She opened her eyes as she felt the energy flowing through her body. She concentrated on the tip of the index finger on her right hand. As she did, it began to glow brightly. She pointed it at the shadow, who watched motionlessly.

"Crescent…" called Sailor V as the golden energy reached a crescendo. "BEAM!"

She screamed as something slammed into her right leg. She lost her balance and tumbled to the ground. The energy at the end of her finger narrowed into a beam of light and rocketed away, missing the shadow by some distance and hitting a tree, where it dispersed. V scrambled around to face her new attacker, panic rising in her throat. She'd never fought more than a single enemy before, especially not enemies as tough as these.

She stared into the face of her attacker. The blue eyes of a white tomcat stared back at her.

"Artemis!" gasped V, her mouth dropping open. "What do you think you're doing! I had it beaten!"

"Mina, you don't understand!" replied Artemis. His voice was a little hoarse, owing to the earlier attack. "That shadow…"

"That shadow is an enemy! A monster!" fumed Sailor V.

"Mina, listen to me! The girl I told you about, the one who attacked me. That shadow is her!"

"What are you talking about?" asked V, now confused as well as angry.

"That shadow… it must have invaded her body somehow! It's controlling her! You can't destroy it, or you'll destroy her too!"

For a moment his words were meaningless, a combination of random syllables that meant absolutely nothing. It took a full two seconds before realisation hit her like a tidal wave, along with a surge of guilt. If Artemis hadn't knocked her off balance, she would have…

She suppressed the thought. She could think about it later. Right now, she had to save the girl in any way she could. The question was, how? She turned to Artemis.

"Then how am I supposed to defeat it!" she asked.

Artemis paused, apparently trying to formulate a solution. His eyes widened as a shadow fell over them. "Look out!" he cried urgently. Sailor V turned her head just in time to see the shadow lunging towards her. She flattened herself to the ground and it flew over her, missing her by mere inches.

Before she could get to her feet, she felt sharp, icy fingers wrap around her left ankle. She jerked her leg away, letting out an involuntary scream, but she couldn't free herself. Her foot went numb, and paralysis slowly began to creep up her leg. "Artemis! Help me!" she cried.

The cat charged the shadow and dived at its head, swiping and scratching at its blurred face with all of his might. The deathly grip on V's ankle loosened and she managed to pull herself free.

The shadow threw its arm out, striking Artemis and knocking him away. It advanced on Sailor V again. She crawled backwards with her hands, dragging her leg behind her. The shadow caught up with her easily, and placed a foot on her chest, pinning her to the ground.

V's entire body began to numb. The weight on her chest felt like it was going to crush her. She tried to raise her arms to put up some kind of defence, but they wouldn't move. They felt like lead weights. Her hands opened and closed weakly.

"Do you… understand… now?" came the voice from every direction. "Love will die… but despair will always remain…"

"_Nyaaaaaa!"_ came a furious screech, and Artemis dived again, claws at the ready. The shadow caught him in mid-leap and slammed him back down to the ground. He landed with such force that he bounced once, and then came to rest in a rough pile. He mewed weakly and attempted to stand, before the last of his strength dissolved and he passed out.

The shadow looked back at the lifeless body of Sailor V. She stared back with half-closed eyes. Her body felt so heavy, her mind so cloudy. She tried to move her arms again, but she couldn't even feel them. She couldn't feel anything. The air around her was cold and dark.

"A broken heart… is my home…" groaned the shadow, "nothing… can be built… upon the ruins of such a place…"

"You… you're… wrong…" replied Sailor V, her voice barely more than a sigh. "There is always… always the chance for love to begin again…"

She felt the last of her strength fading, and focused all the energy she had into forming words.

"With each broken heart… a girl becomes stronger… and understands herself a little more… so that the next love… will be even… even more… wonderful…"

The darkness that surrounded her was thick now, a wall that isolated her from the bright sunshine that still shone in the world outside. Behind the red mask, her eyelids felt heavy. Just keeping her eyes open was too much effort. They began to close.

The shadow atop her suddenly removed its foot from her chest and stumbled backwards.

Sailor V slowly opened her eyes to watch it. The shadow raised its hands to its head and doubled over, as if in intense pain.

"Liar! LIAR!" it screamed. "Wounds do not heal! Love leads to despair! To…"

It sunk to its knees.

"Despair…"

It collapsed face-first onto the grass. Sailor V lay motionless for a moment. The bright sunlight above streamed down, cutting through the darkness that clouded her vision. She felt her strength begin to return. On the grass nearby, Artemis opened his eyes. The two of them watched as the shadow that lay on the grass began to melt away.

A figure was revealed beneath, a young girl with a dirty, swollen face and untidy hair. Her clothes were filthy and torn. Sailor V sat up, the numbness that had consumed her body beginning to fade away. She exchanged a worried glance with Artemis.

"That's her," he said.

Sailor V climbed to her feet slowly, still a little unsteady. She closed her eyes, and her outfit faded away. The mask concealing her eyes disappeared. With a flash, her school uniform reappeared on her body.

She quickly made her way to the girl lying face-down on the grass. Artemis followed. Minako crouched down beside her and gently rolled her onto her back. She placed a hand to her throat. She sighed heavily with relief as she felt a pulse. "She's alive," she told Artemis, who nodded gratefully.

The girl's eyes began to open, slowly. A low moan came from her throat. Her eyes focused on Minako, sitting beside her, and she reacted with alarm. "It's okay," said Minako softly, a kind smile on her face. "You're safe now."

"W-what happened?" asked the girl, clearly very frightened. Minako's heart sank a little, but the smile on her face didn't waver. Before she could say anything, the girl cried out. "The kitty! The bald spot kitty! I… I…"

"_Nyaan?" _mewed Artemis. The girl turned her head to face him, and her swollen lips managed to form a weak smile. "Thank goodness…" she sighed, "I thought I… I might've…" Her lower lip began to tremble as the memories returned. Her eyes began to glisten. Minako reacted quickly.

"I'm Aino Minako," she said brightly. "And this is my cat, Artemis! What's your name?"

"H-Hashishita Shizuka," answered the girl shyly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Hashishita-san," said Minako politely.

"Please, c-call me Shizuka," replied Shizuka quietly.

"Sure," said Minako, "Shizuka-chan it is!"

"May I call you Mina-chan?" asked Shizuka nervously.

"Of course!" replied Minako. "In fact, I insist on it!"

Minako stood and offered her hand to Shizuka, who took it. She helped the girl to her feet and held her steady for a moment until she found her balance. "Do you want me to walk you home?" Minako asked kindly.

"No!" replied Shizuka in a voice that was practically a shout. She covered her mouth with her hands, embarrassed. "I mean, no, thank-you. I… I don't feel like going home just yet."

"Well, you could come to my house for a while," said Minako with a grin. "I've got the new Love Heart Boys single!"

"Are you sure it's okay?" Shizuka asked. "I don't want you to get in trouble with your parents."

Minako waved a hand dismissively. "Nah! My papa never says a word and my mama's always mad at me no matter what I do! It'll be perfectly fine! Come on, let's go!"

She linked arms with Shizuka, who looked taken aback, and set off towards the stone steps that led down to the entrance of the park. "Come on, Artemis!" she called without looking back. Artemis went after them, a smile on his face. Minako's power to make friends was a force to be reckoned with.

After what poor Shizuka had been through, a friend like Minako was exactly what she needed.


	6. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

The white door, decorated solely with a sticker that cried "MINAKO'S ROOM" in sloppily written kanji, opened slowly and silently. Artemis watched as Minako stepped out, her breath held in her chest. In slow-motion she stepped into the hallway, turned around, and softly closed the door without making a sound. She grinned at the cat and made a "V" signal with the fingers of her right hand. He returned her smile – although not her hand gesture, owing to his lack of hands – and the two descended the staircase.

The small yard at the back of the house was a little chilly, but it was the only place other than her bedroom that they could really talk in private. She didn't want to imagine what her parents would think if they knew the strange cat that had started living with them one day was capable of speech.

Artemis hopped up onto the stone wall that separated them from the quiet, deserted street. The sun had begun its daily descent and evening was in full swing. It had been several hours since the battle at the park. When they had arrived home afterwards, Shizuka had made a call to her concerned parents, in which she had apologised for her odd behaviour with legitimate guilt that made Artemis' heart do a somersault, and told them she'd be home tomorrow as she was staying over at a friends' house. The second she had placed the receiver down, Minako had gone into overdrive.

Shizuka, showered and dressed in Minako's clothing at her new friends' insistence, had been the first person to sit through an entire Aino Minako concert, something that her best friend Hikaru and even Artemis himself could not testify to.

At first, Shizuka appeared to be a little embarrassed as Minako paraded up and down her bedroom wearing every ridiculous "pop idol" accessory she could find. Oversized sunglasses, fake shoulder pads, lots of jewellery – most of it "borrowed" from the box under her mother's bed – feather boas, hats of all shapes and sizes, and more besides. As she charged through her carefully choreographed dance sequences – Artemis knew only too well how much time she spent rehearsing them in lieu of doing her homework – she warbled various karaoke classics into a plastic microphone.

It was a battery operated toy that had stopped working when Artemis had accidentally pushed it out of a window. Even without its terrible ear-destroying power, however, it was still a useful prop. The sticky tape wrapped around the bottom, holding it together after the unfortunate incident, did nothing to diminish the glamour.

With every song, however, Shizuka's unease lessened, until she was finally persuaded to join Minako "on-stage" (on the bed) as a "special guest" for the final number. Artemis, who had previously enjoyed the anonymity of "random bystander" status, was upgraded to audience member. To say he hadn't smiled all the way through the haphazard song would be a lie, though. The smile on Shizuka's face as she struggled to keep up with a veteran like Minako was a delight to witness.

Following the concert, they had eaten dinner. Minako's mother had widened her eyes with surprise upon meeting her daughter's new friend, noting the bruises on her face, but she had hidden it well and, noting Shizuka's obvious self-conscious discomfort, had made no mention of it. Hikaru being a regular guest at her table, she had no trouble supplying the meal itself, and was every bit the gracious host.

After dinner Minako had dragged her back upstairs, where they had watched an awful American horror movie called "_Friday the 13th_". The dubbing into Japanese had been awful, as was to be expected, although he couldn't imagine the original being a marked improvement. Unable to say or do anything due to their company, Artemis had shown his distaste by mewing loudly during the more unpleasant parts of the movie, of which there were many. However, after the third time a pillow hit him square in the face, he decided to keep his mouth shut.

After the credits rolled, around 90 minutes too late for Artemis' taste, Minako had cracked open the make-up box – again, "borrowed" from her mother's bedroom – and they had applied unhealthy amounts of garishly bright lipstick to their faces and painted their finger and toenails in every colour of the rainbow.

Finally, exhaustion had started to make itself apparent. Not on Minako's part – she always had energy to spare – but on Shizuka's. After the day she'd had, it was hardly a surprise. Minako had kindly offered her the bed to sleep in. Shizuka had put up as much of a resistance as she could, but nothing was going to change Minako's mind.

"She's asleep," Minako said, leaning on the wall beside the cat.

He nodded. "I can't blame her," he mused, his mind throwing up the unwelcome image of her screaming, bleeding face from only a few hours previous. He turned to look at Minako, and saw the same expression on her face. Her eyes wavered slightly.

"Mina," said Artemis in his most reassuring tone. "You did a good job today. I'm very proud of you."

Minako's mouth smiled, while her eyes went further in the opposite direction. A single teardrop wrestled free of her eyelid and splashed silently onto the brick, between her hands. She raised them to her face and rubbed them. When she removed them, the tears were flowing more freely.

"Artemis…" she sighed, her voice wavering sadly. "If you hadn't stopped me, I might have…"

Artemis walked forwards, until his face was only an inch from hers. She didn't meet his eye. "Mina," he said firmly. "Look at me."

She didn't.

"Look at me," he said again. Her tear-filled blue eyes slowly raised themselves to his level. "You did nothing wrong," he told her, without an ounce of doubt. "You saved my life today, and you saved hers too."

She broke eye contact again. Her chin sank to meet her chest and her shoulders began to shake. Artemis placed a paw on top of her hand and rubbed it softly. "You're a soldier now, Mina. You have to fight. It's not something that anybody wants to do, and there isn't a single day that I don't feel guilty for placing such a weight on your shoulders. There is enough sadness and pain in this world as it is. That's what we are fighting against. There's no reason to create more."

Minako let out a weak sob and wrapped her arms around him, clutching him to her chest. Artemis gently rubbed his nose against her wet cheek. "You have nothing to be guilty about," he said gently. "This afternoon that girl was ready to turn her back on life. Only a few hours later, she's joining the world famous idol, Aino Minako, on stage!"

Minako giggled through her tears. She looked down at his face.

"If you don't feel proud of yourself for anything else today," said Artemis as he gazed back at her, his usually intense blue eyes softened with compassion, "feel proud of yourself for the smile you put on her face."

Minako simultaneously burst into tears and laughter. She squeezed him harder, giggling and sniffling.

Gradually, her sniffles subsided and she fell silent. They were left swaying from side to side gently, as if carried by the soft breeze that had awoken with the evening. Her tears ceased. She placed him back on the wall in front of her and wiped her eyes with her sleeves.

"Sorry," she giggled, her voice still a little shaken. "That was silly of me."

Artemis shook his head. "Compassion is one of your greatest assets, Mina," he said, fixing her with a wink. She smiled, before turning around to look up at her bedroom window. Artemis followed her gaze. Minako let out a long sigh.

"I don't understand, Artemis…" she said, slowly. "Why would she want to hurt herself? Those scratches on her arms are terrible, and the bruises on her face… she looked worse than some of those people in the movie tonight."

Artemis shook his head. "I've been thinking about it all night. It seems to me that that shadow – Zetsubun – entered her body because she'd been weakened by some kind of tragedy. Did she say anything to you tonight?"

"No," said Minako, shaking her head slowly. "Nothing like that."

"I think I might know anyway," said Artemis. "She used to go to the park with her boyfriend all the time. She adored him. I haven't seen him since she's been acting this way, and she hasn't mentioned him or called him."

"You think they broke up, and she was so heartbroken that shadow possessed her?" asked Minako incredulously. It seemed a little far-fetched, like something out of her one of her manga.

"I know it sounds strange," replied Artemis, reading her mind, "but it's a very likely explanation. I think she gains power through the misery of her host. Like a psychological parasite."

"Oh, I remember that from school!" Minako interrupted.

Artemis nodded, hiding his surprise that she had retained anything from school aside from gossip. "It's likely that the shadow has been increasing her despair to unbearable levels. That's why she tried to hurt me, and why she hurt herself. To try and alleviate it. Today, when I stopped her from taking those pills, she must have felt utterly hopeless. It was then, at her most painful moment, that Zetsubun fully consumed her."

Minako nodded as she took it all in. "But", she said, raising her index finger. "is this thing gone for good? We saw it melt away, but perhaps it was just weakened and it's still inside her."

"That, I don't know," said Artemis sadly. "Whatever the case, you have to pay close attention to her from now on. Even if it is still inside her, then you can defeat it by being her friend. If misery and despair are what sustains it, then you need to make her feel happy, like you did tonight. It must have been weakened by the battle today. It won't be able to withstand another Aino Minako concert, that's for sure!"

Minako grinned. She rubbed his chin with her thumb.

"Come on," she said. "Let's get back inside. It's getting cold out here."

Sure enough, it was. Artemis hadn't noticed thus far, his fur coat making him a little less susceptible to the elements than a human, but the cool breeze was beginning to toughen as the sky grew darker. He hopped off the wall and followed Minako into the house.

* * *

The day after the battle at the park, Minako – after she had served out the remainder of her detention – had introduced Shizuka to the Crown Game Centre.

It was an arcade, filled with games of all shapes and sizes. Shizuka had walked by it a few times and peered through the sliding doors that served as an entrance curiously, but had never actually ventured inside. This was due to the advice of her mother, who insisted that such places were for unruly boys. Apparently, Minako's mother hadn't given her daughter such advice. Or, more likely, she had and Minako had chosen to ignore it. Given her wayward personality, the second option seemed the most likely.

At first, Shizuka had been a little uncomfortable among the shouting, cheering students that populated the arcade. Her face, although it had begun to heal, was still bruised and a little swollen. Minako assured her that nobody would stare at her, and sure enough, nobody seemed to pay the slightest bit of attention, being far too engrossed in the games themselves.

Minako had quickly introduced her to Furuhata Motoki, a boy who worked part-time in the arcade. He was a few years older than the two, and rather a handsome man, short blonde hair atop an attractive face and friendly smile. Shizuka had found herself blushing and looking away as he said smiled and said hello. Minako, on the other hand, had attached herself to his arm like a bear-trap until he prised her off, insisting he had work to do, and vanished into the crowd.

Minako had given her a quick tour of all the best games, spending a terrifying amount of her allowance in the process. A realistic racing car game was first, where the two raced against each other. To Shizuka's amusement – and embarrassment – Minako had thrown herself around as if she were actually inside a speeding car while playing it, until she lost control of the wheel and crashed into a wall.

The next game had been a shooting game, where you held a plastic gun and had to shoot lasers at targets on the screen, ranging in size and shape from little cute monsters to big ugly monsters. Again, Minako threw herself into the role, twirling the gun around until the thin cable connecting the gun to the game cabinet wrapped around her wrist and she was promptly devoured by a horde of slavering space beasts.

Unperturbed, they had moved on to the UFO catchers. The crane games were full of small plush toys from all kinds of anime and videogames. Minako's first attempt to catch anything resulted in failure. On her second time, she was delighted to pick up a plush of a purple cat, gleefully saying that she could introduce it to Artemis as a girlfriend. Unfortunately, the feline wrestled free of the crane arm and rejoined the rest of the soft toys before it was dropped into the chute. Her allotted allowance running low, she had decided against a third try.

Next, they had played a game that seemed of particular interest to both Minako and Shizuka. The game was called _Sailor V_, and it featured a girl with blonde hair, with a red ribbon atop her head and a red mask over her eyes, fighting various monsters. Shizuka guessed she'd seen the game somewhere before, because the main character seemed familiar to her, although she couldn't recall how or why exactly. She had noticed that Minako bore quite a resemblance to V-chan, with her blonde hair and red ribbon. She didn't say it out loud for fear of embarrassing her friend, but she wondered if her hairstyle was actually replicated from the game.

After Minako's turn, which lasted quite a while – Shizuka got the impression she had put in a lot of practice and even more of her allowance – Shizuka had a turn. She hadn't lasted long, having not played many games, but it had been a lot of fun and Minako had been on-hand to tell her all the tips and tricks.

After they had finished, Minako's friend Hikaru had arrived, fresh from cram school, and following the introductions the trio had ascended the stairs at the side of the building. Above the Crown Game Centre was the Crown Fruit Parlour, a diner that sold various refreshments. It was a charming place, with a quiet and relaxed atmosphere. Tables and booths were spaced out along it, separated by attractive green plants.

Minako, Shizuka and Hikaru took residence at a booth in the corner, and the three ordered a soda each.

As they slowly drained the cups with long, brightly coloured straws, they chatted about all manner of things. As usual, Minako led the conversation. Shizuka listened with a smile on her face, occasionally nodding or giving her opinion but otherwise letting Minako do what she did best.

Shizuka had always been a shy girl, and making friends had been difficult for her. She was an introvert, and rather sensitive. She always had been. As a child, she had remained in her room and studied while the other children had been playing outside. By the time she had reached junior high school, where the students had all fallen into their respective groups and established their place among their peers, she had still been alone. She had discovered the little garden at Shiba Park at that time, and it had become her private sanctuary. She wasn't disliked, by any means. She was just there in the background, not particularly noticeable.

That was why Yukio had been so wonderful. Taking the first step and initiating a friendship seemed like an incredible challenge to Shizuka. When she had noticed him staring at her during lessons, she had hidden herself behind a book, half-expecting a sneer or a whisper to follow. To her astonishment, he had introduced himself to her during the break for lunch, and proposed that they date.

Shizuka had to fight to stop herself from fainting, and had asked him with a trembling voice if he was serious. He had replied that he was, and explained that he had watching her for a while and thought she was cute. Quiet and dignified, unlike the other girls.

_Unlike Mina-chan,_ she thought wistfully, as she watched the blonde suck down the remainder of her soda with a loud, satisfied slurping sound and continue to sing the praises of Motoki-san, the arcade guy. Just like him, Minako had been the one to initiate their relationship, offering her kindness and sympathy when it seemed that nobody cared. Just like that, they had become friends. Somebody like Minako made it seem so easy. She smiled, a little ashamed that she was actually envious of her new friend.

She and Yukio had begun to date, and it had been wonderful. With him, she felt she could be herself. She had told him everything about herself. Her thoughts, her feelings, her dreams. She had even shown him her special little place at the park, and from that point on it had become their special little place, a place where the outside world ceased to exist and it was just the two of them.

Her parents, particularly her father, had not approved, claiming he was a bad influence. Shizuka had not agreed with them. Yukio had been kind and warm. Seeing her shyness, he had never attempted to kiss her. He had waited some time before he even put his arm around her. Shizuka appreciated this. She'd been sure that someday, she would share her first kiss with him, and they would get married and live happily ever after. It would be just like a fairytale. Her prince, rescuing her from isolation and taking her away on the back of his magnificent white stallion.

But of course, that hadn't happened. He had left her for reasons that she still didn't understand. The thought stung, but it didn't make her want to cry like it had before. A small glimmer of hope had begun to shine where before there had been only darkness. Words ran through her head, words unfamiliar to her, and yet words she was sure she had heard.

"_There is always the chance for love to begin again. With each broken heart, a girl becomes stronger, and understands herself a little more, so that the next love will be even more wonderful."_

As much as she struggled to remember, she couldn't place the origin of the words, or picture the person that had spoken them, but nonetheless they loosened the vice around her heart. She trusted the words. On those nights following their break-up, she had been sure that she would never be able to live again. It seemed too much to hope that even a smile would one day cross her lips. But she was smiling right now, as she half-listened to Minako complain about the amount of homework she had waiting for her at home.

Her train of thought led her to the cold, needle-like voice that had haunted her. She wondered if it had ever existed at all. It seemed so unreal now, thinking back. It had seemed real at the time, but the logical part of her mind told her that it must have her own mind, speaking out of despair.

The memory of the bottle full of pills from the medicine cabinet flashed through her mind, but she forced it away. Sitting in this booth, on a bright afternoon, drinking a soda with her new friends, those horrible thoughts seemed like a nightmare that had finally begun to fade in the warming light of the morning sun.

She didn't need to think about those terrible things anymore. The voice, if it had ever been there at all, was gone. Her face would heal. The scars on her arms would remain, but she didn't mind that. They would serve as a reminder of a terrible time, a foolish period in her life, a time she wished never to return to. But while the scars on her body would remain, she knew that the pain in her heart would heal. It would take time, but eventually she would be stronger than she had been before.

"Shizuka-chan?" came Minako's voice, startling her free of her thoughts. She blushed and bowed her head slightly. "Sorry, I was just thinking about something," she said apologetically.

Minako smiled and waved a hand in dismissal. "I was just asking if you wanted another soda."

"Oh, well, I would," replied Shizuka, realising that she had emptied the one before her. She hastily added "if you don't mind, of course."

Minako shook her head and grinned. "Of course not! After all, Hikaru-chan is paying? _Ne_, Hikaru-chan?"

Hikaru smiled and nodded. "If I know you, Mina, you'll be down to your last 10 yen after spending an hour in the Game Centre."

Minako giggled and fiddled with the bow atop her head. "Something like that."

Hikaru stood up. "Same again?" she asked, nodding her head towards the empty cup that Shizuka still clutched between her hands. Shizuka nodded.

"Thank-you, Hikaru-chan," she said politely. Hikaru grinned. "Don't worry about it," she replied. She turned and headed over to the counter on the other side of the room.

Minako smiled. "Everything okay?" she asked, kindly but not with concern. "You seem to have something on your mind."

"_With each broken heart, a girl becomes stronger," _thought Shizuka, _"and understands herself a little more, so that the next love will be even more wonderful."_

She wished she could remember where she had heard the words, or who had spoken them, so that she could thank them.

"It's nothing," said Shizuka, returning her smile. "But thank-you, Mina-chan."


	7. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

The difference was striking, Minako thought, as she walked alongside Shizuka down the quiet street, pleasantly shadowed beneath the evening sky. Only a week had passed since the battle at the park, but the girl beside her was practically unrecognisable. Her face had all but healed, with only a few bruises here and there the only residual effects of her ordeal.

But more importantly – and more noticeably – was the change she had undergone inside. Her broken heart was mending itself. It was almost visible to the naked eye. There was a sparkle in her eyes, eyes that had been dull and lifeless when they had first met only seven days previously. She smiled a lot more, too, a very nice smile, as full of vitality as her eyes and the spring in her step.

Minako didn't think Shizuka would have any trouble finding a new boyfriend. In fact, she had plans to that very effect already in place. Not now, of course. It was very important for Shizuka to recover fully from her first love. After that, Minako would subtly introduce her to a nice boy at school, spend a little time with them, and then make her excuses and leave to let them get more acquainted. Of course, Shizuka was a little shy, so she'd have to find a boy who wouldn't intimidate her. He'd have to be laid back, easy to talk to. He'd have to be talkative too, to lead the conversation. She'd start screening potentials tomorrow at school. It was a difficult job, with many factors, but as the Goddess of Love, Minako felt she was more than capable of handling the task. In fact, it was her obligation! If she wasn't qualified to play Cupid for her friend, then who was?

The voice of Artemis spoke in her head, drolly pointing out her own failure in the world of romance, and the spontaneity of it made her giggle. She stopped as she realised that Shizuka was looking at her with a smile of her own, her expression somewhat quizzical.

"Mina-chan?" she asked curiously.

Minako waved her hands dismissively. "It's nothing, nothing. I was just thinking about something Artemis said."

"Artemis?" asked Shizuka, confused now. "Your cat?"

Minako's eyes widened with realisation at what she'd said, and she laughed, as loud as she could, as if somebody had just told a truly fantastic joke. This only served to deepen her friends confusion, until she finally shook her head. "You're weird, Mina-chan!" she said, her smile and tone of voice indicating this as a bemused compliment rather than an insult.

Reaching their destination – Shizuka's house – they stopped and stood facing one another. "So, I'll see you in the morning," Minako said with a smile.

"Mm," replied Shizuka, punctuating the sound with a nod.

"Goodnight, Shizuka-chan!"

"Goodnight, Mina-chan! See you in the morning!"

Minako grinned, and then something impossible happened.

Without a word, Shizuka raised her hand and, with the shocking suddenness of a gunshot on a silent night, slapped her in the face.

* * *

A few days previously, as Shizuka sat at a table at the Crown Fruit Parlour, draining her second soda and playing a role, albeit minor, in the conversation between Minako and Hikaru, another presence had been in attendance. Deep inside her chest, the shadow that had wrapped itself around her broken heart on that cold night in the park finally regained a state of consciousness.

Zetsubun was still inside of her. She had been weakened, severely damaged, by that child… by that bitch, Sailor V. Those words V had uttered with her pathetic, gasping little voice, that rubbish about love, somehow they had penetrated Zetsubun's shell, and the small shred of hope that remained in her host's heart had been rekindled. A sudden surge of warmth had passed throughout her being, and then oblivion had seized her.

How much time had passed, she wondered? She had no way of measuring it. Time was extremely important. Despite her claims to the contrary, wounds healed over time, both physical and emotional. It was then that Zetsubun had realised, with a wave of what could be described as nausea in a human, that her host was happy.

Happy.

It disgusted her. All of her effort, all of those nights where her host had wept and sobbed and hurt herself, doing anything she could to stem the impending tide that led to death for her, and new life for Zetsubun. All of those nights had been for nothing, because now she was happy.

Happy.

Zetsubun could feel it, burning her like a flame. She was nothing more than a slight tint now, a shade. She was a healing wound. This sickening happiness that her host was experiencing, and all the elements that comprised it – friendship, hope, resolution – they were poisons to her. It wouldn't be long now before she would finally wither and die, return to the nothingness where she had once emerged from.

Anger flared up inside her. To be defeated by a child, to be cast aside and forgotten, to be labelled as a half-dreamt recollection and nothing more, it was just as sickening as the warmth that threatened to eradicate her. She wouldn't lay down and die. This one would crumble, this one would suffer, just like all the others.

This one would die, just like all the others.

Even the most conspiratorial of people would not have been able to see a link between the many ruined lives Zetsubun had cultured until their end. All kinds of people, young and old, from all walks of life, had been her hosts throughout the generations. The reason that allowed Zetsubun access to them differed: the loss of love, like with her current host, was merely one of them. Bereavement, tragedy, loneliness, there were many ways in which the heart could become vulnerable. And then she filled that wound and slowly, deliciously, contaminated them from within, until any hope that remained, any semblance of happiness, had been extinguished. After that line had been crossed, it was only a short amount of time before they expired.

The ways in which they did it were even more varied than the reasons for their broken hearts. Zetsubun anticipated the final moment more than anything. The cold barrel of a gun inside a mouth, the throat choking and gagging, the eyes streaming with tears, until the shaking finger pulled tight and it ended with a definitive, final explosion of crimson and sound. Or slowly sinking deep into an abyss, down into the blackness, slowly drifting free of consciousness as they willingly relinquished their lives. Or perhaps, the frantic struggling and writhing as the body fought to free itself from the noose it had helped assemble.

All of them were a source of great delight to Zetsubun. But more importantly, all of them were a source of energy. Of life. A source of power. For that was how she continued to exist, by feeding from the suffering of this pathetic species. And nothing nourished her more than a lonely, miserable death.

This one had almost been the same, had almost ended her own life in the throes of abject despair, but she hadn't succeeded. She had been interrupted. In her anger, Zetsubun had risen up, gathered all of her strength, taken control of her host to rid herself of the interruption. But then the bitch had appeared with her cute blonde hair and her cute red ribbon and her love and beauty, and now her host was happy.

Happy.

She struggled to haul her way out of blindness and survey the world through her host's eyes, as she usually did. In such a weakened state, even a task as simple as this proved difficult, but she managed it nonetheless. The shapes were vague and out-of-focus, the colours blurred and indistinct. It would be a while before she would be able to synchronise fully with her host. Regardless, she could see that they were sitting in a bright room lined with tables. Some kind of diner, perhaps. Her hosts head turned, to look down at a round object with something protruding from it. It took a few moments for Zetsubun to realise it was a cup with a straw poking out. Her viewpoint descended, and she knew her host was drinking.

A sudden stab of loathing rushed through her, the loathing she felt for all living beings. Weak, pathetic, beings, their entire society structured to distract them from the darkness that resided in their hearts and lurked deep within the folds of their thoughts. Finding solace in other people, in friendship. Raw anger rose in her but she quelled it. There would be time for anger later.

She realised that she could hear, too. First, the single sound of her host sucking liquid through a straw, stretched and alien, like her vision. Other sounds followed it. Voices. Female voices. One of them belonged to her host, she realised.

A sharp, disturbing sound that Zetsubun assumed was laughter assaulted her, and her hosts head moved to focus on the source of the din. A girl sitting on the other side of the table. Zetsubun's vision afforded little detail, but a stream of yellow surrounded the blob that must have been her face. Blonde hair, most likely. A lump of red sat atop it, and for a moment Zetsubun was confused as to what it was.

Then, she realised.

A shrill voice. Blonde hair. A red ribbon. The girl sitting across from her host was the bitch, Sailor V. She couldn't make out the girls face, it was nothing more than a shifting blur of geometric shapes, but that didn't matter. Her enemy had worn a red mask anyway. But somehow, she knew this girl was the one. Another wave of anger seized her, more powerful than before. The bitch hadn't been content with her victory, she was now laughing and joking and drinking with her host. This bitch was the reason her host was happy.

Happy.

If Zetsubun had had anything resembling a physical form, she would have smiled bitterly. It wasn't over yet. She still existed, however weak, inside her host. She would still win the battle. It all seemed simple now. If the blonde bitch was the reason her host was happy, then all she had to do to make her host unhappy was get rid of her.

The smile that wasn't on the face she didn't have moved away from bitterness and towards malice.

* * *

The moment of sharp silence that had passed in the wake of the slap had seemed to stretch on indefinitely. Shizuka stood, staring with wide eyes at Minako's face. Her beautiful blue eyes had widened, and tiny, hard tears lingered at their edges. Her right cheek was stained a blazing, painful red.

Every part of Shizuka's body was numb, save for her right hand. She could feel it by her side, heavy as a lead weight, her palm throbbing.

Had it even happened? Surely it hadn't. Minako's face was red because of some other reason. Her hand was throbbing for some other reason. Time had stood still for some other reason. Something, anything other than what she thought had happened. She hadn't slapped her best friend in the face. Something else had happened. She wasn't sure what, but she was sure it would be a very funny and interesting story. Hey, Mina-chan, remember that time I thought I slapped you in the face, but it was actually something totally different?

The moment still hadn't passed. She willed something to happen. It didn't matter what. Anything to get out of this moment, anything to free herself from this one moment in time. She wanted Minako to smile and laugh, and explain what had really happened, and then Shizuka could go into her house, and do her homework, and tomorrow she'd get up and go to school and everything would be fine, because she was okay now.

But Minako didn't smile, nor did she laugh. She didn't raise a hand to her face, to feel her flaming cheek, or to wipe the tears from her eyes. Words – of anger, of forgiveness, of explanation, it mattered not – did not form in her mouth. Her feet did not turn and guide her legs down the street and around the corner and out of sight.

And still, the moment had not passed. It was becoming strained now. She could feel the air around her thickening, tensing up, ready to explode from the pressure of being stretched for so long.

And then, it did, and Shizuka could hear her own feet pounding down the path that led to her front door, she could feel her eyes stinging with tears, and still, above anything else, she could feel the palm of her hand, red and sore. She didn't look back as she opened the door, darted inside and slammed it behind her in one fluent motion. She didn't say a word as she ascended the staircase, without even removing her shoes, vaguely aware of her mother's voice somewhere far away. She didn't stop until she had reached her bedroom, bolted the door, and collapsed face-first to her neatly made bed.

The tears came then, hot and burning, causing her eyes to close in protest and her cheeks to itch miserably. With the tears came the familiar sound of her own voice, sobbing and wailing wordlessly, an uninterrupted cacophony of despair and solitude. For how long this continued, Shizuka did not know, nor did she care. Again, she was vaguely aware of her mothers voice outside the door, but the words sounded alien to her, and they eventually stopped altogether. The sky outside the window darkened further, until night came.

As the room around her slowly turned black, Shizuka stood and made her way to the window that looked out at the street, her tears and whimpers continuing unabated. She stared down at the gate in front of her house, hoping desperately to still see her friend standing there, rooted to the spot, and then Shizuka could go to her and apologise and everything would be fine, because she was okay now.

Minako wasn't there. The dark street was empty. She was gone.

Despair gripped her with such intensity that she clutched a hand to her chest, and she stumbled back, tripping over her own feet, still wearing her school shoes, and tumbled backwards onto the bed to land in a messy heap. As the darkness around her solidified, as the shadows gained substance, the tears came again, and Shizuka was not aware of how long they continued until she lost consciousness and spiralled down into a thick, black sleep.


	8. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

The following day passed slowly for Minako. Her classes at school had been even more difficult than usual. Minako had never been a model student and concentration, particularly concentrating on what the _sensei_ was saying, had never been one of her strongest points. But the idle daydreams that flitted through her mind usually concerned cute boys, pop bands, or pop bands comprised of cute boys. When it was necessary, she was able to push those thoughts to the back of her mind and accomplish the task at hand.

However, today had been different. Her mind was still stuck in that moment outside Shizuka's house. She winced at the memory of the slap, hard and shocking, causing her face to burn and her eyes to water. Shizuka's face had frozen with a look of shock equal, if not superior, to Minako's own, and then, after an undetermined length of time that felt like an hour but was probably no longer than a couple of seconds, she had turned and ran into her house without saying a word, without looking back.

After the shock had dissipated and her mind began to function again, Minako's first instinct was to knock on the door. She wasn't angry, nor was she hurt. It seemed all too obvious to Minako what had happened. Zetsubun, the shadow that had invaded her friends heart, had not fully been destroyed and was beginning to regain its influence. Shizuka needed help, now more than ever. But something told her that now was not the time, and she had willed her feet out of entropy and slowly made her way back home, the evening breeze feeling harsh against her raw cheek.

She had told Artemis what had happened immediately, and he had reached the same conclusion as her concerning Zetsubun. That night, in bed, Minako had had trouble sleeping, her mind replaying that evening's events in an ouroboros loop. It upset her to think about what Shizuka must have been going through at that same moment.

She had no idea what was happening to her, and judging from the look on her face following the slap, she had not been in control of her own body. Minako had begun to cry, then, not because she was hurt, but because of the thought of her friend, bewildered and afraid and alone in the dark, unable to trust even herself but not knowing why.

A sudden stab of anger had pierced her, then. That _thing_, inside her friend, filling her with sorrow, eliminating any hope. It made her sick. Shizuka was a wonderful girl. How _dare_ this _thing_ treat her like that?

She had climbed out of bed, then, and begun to dress, to go to Shizuka's house, to put an end to the monster once and for all. Artemis had tried to stop her, first by begging her to reconsider, then by physically standing in front of the bedroom door. Finally, his words had got through to her, and she had conceded to common sense. It was past midnight – even if Minako could get into her house at that time, it was doubtful Shizuka would have been in any state to see her, and considering Minako's fragile state too, there was a good chance it would end badly for all concerned.

Instead, they would both visit Shizuka tomorrow, after school. Artemis didn't think it was likely Shizuka would attend school herself. Hopefully, she would have calmed down after the initial night, take comfort in Minako's forgiveness, and the two of them could help her finally defeat the monster that lurked inside her.

Minako had agreed, although it hadn't made it any easier to sleep.

The school day finally came to an end, and, meeting Artemis at the school gates, Minako had set off for Shizuka's house. She had moved quickly, anxiously, with a walk that was only a rung below a run.

At last, Shizuka's house came into view, and the two treaded the little path that led to the front door. Exchanging a glance with Artemis that was half nervousness and half determination, Minako cleared her throat and knocked loudly on the door.

A few moments passed, before the door finally opened. A pretty woman, who Minako estimated to be in her thirties, stood before them, her striking features soured by a worrisome expression. Noting how similar she was to Shizuka in appearance, Minako correctly assumed her to be Shizuka's mother.

"Excuse me," Minako began politely. "Are you Shizuka-chan's mother?"

The expression on the woman's face was grim as she confirmed what Minako already knew. "Yes, I am," she said.

"My name is Aino Minako," said Minako. "I'm a friend of your daughters."

A faint smile crossed the woman's face before fizzling out. "Ah, you must be the Mina-chan I've heard so much about," she said wistfully. "Shizuka has been talking about you all week."

Minako smiled. "Can I see her? She wasn't at school today and I was worried something had happened to her."

It was a slight lie, but Minako could hardly tell her the truth. She waited, holding her breath, for a reply. She wasn't going to take no for an answer, but it would be a lot easier if she was allowed into the house. A soldier of justice she might have been, and she was most certainly the Goddess of Love, but she wasn't exactly skilled at house infiltration. Her only knowledge of such things came from spy movies, and it wasn't really the same thing.

Shizuka's mother lowered her eyes. "Shizuka…" she said sadly, quietly, almost under her breath. Her eyes looked back up at Minako. "She hasn't left her room since last night. It's just like she was a week ago. I was so worried about her, but then she just cheered right up and I thought she was okay. Until yesterday."

"Could I talk to her?" asked Minako, hopefully.

Shizuka's mother considered this for a moment. "I don't think she's in any condition to see anyone right now," she replied. Minako's heart plunged into her stomach and she opened her mouth to protest, but before she could form any words, the woman continued. "On the other hand, Shizuka has been a lot happier since she met you. If anyone can make her feel better, you can."

Minako's heart rebounded back into her chest and she grinned. "So I can come in?"

Shizuka's mother nodded, and took a step backwards. Minako stepped inside. "Please forgive my intrusion," she said politely as she bent down and began to remove her shoes. Artemis took a step toward the door to follow her, but Shizuka's mother blocked his path. "You, on the other hand," she said, in a voice that wasn't unkind, but left no room for argument, "cannot."

"_Nyaaaa!_" mewed Artemis, doing his best to sound both cute and disappointed at the same time. It clearly didn't work. The woman turned to Minako, who had finished removing her shoes and was placing them neatly by the door. "I'm sorry, but we don't allow cats in the house," she explained. "My husband is allergic to them."

Minako shot him an apologetic look and shrugged her shoulders. "Wait outside for me, okay?" she said, her tone one of forced condescension that she only used when addressing him in the company of other people, or when she was feeling particularly spiteful. This situation was the former, and Artemis reluctantly obeyed and stepped away from the door, which Shizuka's mother closed.

She turned away from the door to face Minako and gestured to the staircase. "Shizuka is in her room at the end of the hall," she said. "I do hope you can make her feel better. We're terribly worried about her."

Minako nodded. "Me too," she said, and made her way up the stairs.

The hallway at the top was quite a long one, and Minako felt a little anxious as she padded along it. Finally, she reached the door to Shizuka's bedroom, and, swallowing nervously, raised a hand and knocked on it quietly. After a few moments, there was no reply, so she knocked again, louder this time. There was still no response from inside.

She pressed her ear to the thick wooden door. She thought she could hear the sound of movement inside, but she wasn't sure. She cleared her throat again and put her mouth to the keyhole. "Shizuka-chan?" she said, in a tone as kind as she could muster. "It's Minako. Please open the door."

This time, she was sure she had heard movement, but still, there was no response from inside.

"Shizuka, please," Minako said again, keeping her tone soft and speaking slowly, comfortingly. "I'm not mad about yesterday. I just want to talk to you, okay? So, please, open the door."

Movement, again, and then footsteps approaching the door. There was the sound of a bolt being loosened, and then the door swung open. Minako gasped as Shizuka practically collapsed into her arms. She supported her friend, and likewise wrapped her arms around her. "Mina-chan…" mumbled Shizuka with a strained voice that suggested she had been crying for several hours. "I… I…"

Her words were lost in tears, and she began to weep into Minako's shoulder. Her arms tightened around her until it was almost painful. Minako tightened her embrace too, struggling to refrain from crying herself. She had to remain strong to help her through this.

"It's okay… it's okay…" Minako whispered soothingly into her ear. "I forgive you."

Loosening her embrace, she took Shizuka's hand and led her over to the unmade bed. She noticed that Shizuka was still wearing her school uniform from yesterday, including her shoes. She must have been truly upset last night, she thought, with a twinge of sadness that was almost guilt. It was ridiculous, of course, but all the same, it almost felt like her fault.

She pushed the thought away and sat down on the bed. Shizuka sat beside her, and Minako took her hands. For a moment, Shizuka's puffy eyes evaded hers, but she finally managed to establish contact between them.

"Mina-chan…" Shizuka whimpered. "About yesterday… I… I don't know…"

She began to flounder wordlessly. "It's okay," said Minako softly. "I forgive you. I just want to help you. You're going to be fine."

"Mina… cha…" Shizuka whimpered, her eyes filling with tears again, this time due to relief. She crumpled forwards into Minako's arms again without saying another word. Minako held her gently, rocking her back and forth. Sorrow ran through her again, at seeing her friend in such a state.

Her eyes narrowed slightly. Her promise to Shizuka was not an empty one. She was going to be happy.

She was going to be fine.

* * *

Concealed in the chest of the distraught girl, the shadow known as Zetsubun felt a flourish of anger and disgust pass through her. What was wrong with this pathetic girl? Over the past few days, Zetsubun had quietly gathered enough energy to assert her influence, and had used it to make her host slap the bitch in her sickeningly beautiful face. That was all that needed to be done, or so Zetsubun had thought. She would never come back again and her host, having lost her only friend, would quickly sink back into a deep depression, this time never to return. Last night it had looked promising, but now, she was holding her and the tears her host was crying were not of pain but of relief.

She could feel the warmth of the bitch's hands, wrapped around her hosts body. This child was so warm, so full of compassion. Zetsubun had never felt anything like it, and it wasn't something she was planning to experience for much longer. She had to do something. Already she could feel herself weakening. There was only one way she'd be free of her, and only one way her host would finally succumb and give Zetsubun the miserable energy she craved.

She was going to have to kill the bitch.

* * *

After some time had passed, Shizuka's tears had begun to subside, and they had parted. Shizuka began to wipe her watering eyes and runny nose on the white sleeves of her uniform, but Minako halted her, reached into her breast pocket and produced a white handkerchief. She handed it to Shizuka, who accepted it gratefully and blew her noise loudly. Minako couldn't help but smile.

The next several moments passed like a blur. Minako wasn't sure of the sequence of events or how they had begun, but she recalled that Shizuka had lunged for her, not for another cuddle but in an attempt to wrap her hands around her throat and choke her. Rational thought and linear progression were lost in the moments that followed, but when Minako came to her senses, she had Shizuka pinned to the ground face-first, with her hands holding down Shizuka's elbows and her knee planted in the small of her back.

"Shizuka-chan!" she cried. "Come to your senses!"

Shizuka did not, instead jerking her body upwards, knocking Minako off balance. She slithered out from beneath her and lunged at Minako again, sending her crashing to the ground. She grabbed a handful of blonde hair in each hand and yanked on it, hard. A yelp of pain escaped Minako's throat, and tears pricked at her eyes. As Shizuka attempted to tear out her hair by the root, she struggled to place a foot in Shizuka's stomach and extended her leg, pushing as hard as she could. Shizuka stumbled away and crashed into the table beside the bed. She bounced off to land in a heap on the floor, surrounded by a pile of knick-knacks that had inhabited the table a moment earlier.

Her face red, Minako crawled on her hands and knees across the carpet, towards the prone girl. For a split second, she saw a familiar looking girl with blonde hair and a red ribbon coming towards her, and then the right side of her face, where she had been slapped the day before, exploded with pain and she collapsed to the carpet. Her assailant was a mirror that had fallen off the bedside table. Shizuka had grabbed it, waiting until Minako was close before hurling it at her. Upon impact, it had shattered, showering sharp shards across the room.

In seconds, Shizuka was on top of her, her hands curled like talons. She scratched and tore at Minako's face, at her clothes, at her hair. Minako frantically struggled beneath her, desperately trying to get free, but she couldn't gain any leverage. She looked up, and her eyes met with those of her attacker.

It was not anger that she saw there, but sorrow. A single teardrop loosened itself from her eye and landed with an inaudible splash on Minako's cheek. Seeing this, compassion seized Minako, a longing to help this girl who was a prisoner in her own body.

"Shizuka-chan, please! Listen to me!" she cried. "I know you can hear me! You have to fight it!"

Shizuka stopped dead, as if she were a toy that had been turned off. Her wide, sorrowful eyes stared down at Minako, who smiled, in spite of her face, which was bleeding from several small cuts, courtesy of the broken mirror.

"You have to fight it, Shizuka-chan," she said softly.

She gasped as Shizuka screamed, an animalistic sound full of hatred. It barely sounded human. Minako recognised it, to her dismay. It was the sinister, malicious voice of Zetsubun. Holding Minako down with one hand, she grabbed a nearby lamp that had been thrown to the ground during the fracas and raised it into the air.

Minako stared up at it. _So this is it_, she thought dazedly. _This is how I die. Some soldier of justice I am. What would Artemis think of me?_

As if summoned by thought alone, a white shape rocketed through the air with a feline yell, slamming into Shizuka's chest a nanosecond before she brought the lamp crashing down on Minako's head. Shizuka dropped the lamp and fell backwards. Artemis landed on her chest, but before he could make another move, Shizuka's hand had tightened around his tail like a vice and he was hurled across the room. He flew over the bed and slammed hard into the wall.

However, the distraction had given Minako more than enough time to act. She dived on top of Shizuka and wrapped her hands around the girls wrists so tightly that her knuckles went white. She thrust one of her knees into Shizuka's stomach, who yelped with pain. Minako winced as if she had been struck herself. Just as Artemis had said in her first battle with Zetsubun, every bit of damage she was causing was hurting Shizuka too. She apologised silently and held the struggling girl to the ground with all of her might.

"Shizuka-chan!" she yelled, staring intently at her eyes. The rest of her face was contorted with anger, her body jerked and thrust violently under the monster's control, but the eyes were Shizuka's and Shizuka's alone. She spoke to them, her voice soft, despite the writhing body beneath her.

"Shizuka-chan, listen to me. You can fight it. I know you can. I know you want to be happy, and you can be, but you have to fight it. Please."

She paused.

"Do it for me."

Shizuka moaned as if she'd been hit, and her struggling increased. Minako could feel her own shoulders burning as if they were filling with acid. Her strength was giving out. But she knew the same was true of Shizuka. While her struggles were becoming more and more desperate, they were also becoming slower and weaker. Zetsubun had been weakened by their first battle. Now she was limited by the body she inhabited, and it was a body that was quickly losing stamina.

She spoke to those eyes, those clear sorrowful eyes of her friend, again. This time her voice was louder, more insistent.

"Shizuka-chan, fight it!" she cried. "You can beat it! I know you can! You're not weak! You're a strong girl!"

Shizuka grimaced painfully as further bestial growls escaped her throat.

"Fight it, Shizuka-chan!" cried Minako again, louder than ever. "You're strong! You can do it! FIGHT IT!"

Shizuka's face contorted into an expression of agony, and she screamed, a low disharmonic sound that stretched on and on, until it was barely a sound at all, it was a presence in the room, a darkness, a shadow. The air in the room became heavy and oppressive beneath it.

Minako saw it then, an inky blackness that distorted the air around it, flowing out of Shizuka's body, assembling itself into a shape in the corner of the room. It began to solidify and take form, until it was vaguely humanoid, but with no defined edges and no details that Minako could make out.

_Zetsubun's true form_, she thought, the anger she had felt the previous night flaring up inside her again. She looked down at Shizuka's body, which she still had pinned to the carpet. Her face was still and silent, her eyes closed. Her chest continued to rise and fall softly. She was alive, but unconscious.

More importantly, she was free.

With some effort, Minako stood, her legs threatening to buckle under her. She glared at the shadow that cowered in the corner of the room. It rippled and warped before her eyes, as if struggling to maintain its already rudimentary form.

"Beautiful child…" it rasped in a cold whisper that made Minako's spine tingle. "Will you not have… mercy… on me?"

Minako frowned. "You don't deserve mercy," she replied.

The shadow chuckled, and every part of Minako's body, from her ears to the tips of her toes, went cold. Behind her, Artemis appeared, his eyes foggy but his voice determined. "Mina," he said urgently. "Transform!"

Without taking her eyes off the shadow in the corner, Minako nodded once and reached into her pocket. She pulled out the gold pen and held it above her head.

"Venus Power! Make-Up!"

With a flash of light, her clothes faded away and her combat uniform – the modified sailor suit with its shoulder protectors and miniskirt, appeared in their place. White gloves appeared on her hands and blue shoes on her feet. The red mask appeared over her eyes.

Sailor V stretched out her arm and pointed her finger at the shadow.

"You travel from person to person, contaminating their beautiful souls and exploiting their misfortune!" she cried angrily. "Unforgivable!"

The tip of her finger began to glow with golden energy. Sailor V focused everything on it: her anger, her pain; but mostly her compassion, her desire to help Shizuka, her desire to rid the world of such loathsome beasts as Zetsubun who took pleasure in misery and suffering. It was for this reason that she was Sailor V, pretty soldier of love, beauty and justice, and it was for this reason that she would endure any hardship to help others.

The energy at her fingertip reached a pinnacle.

"CRESCENT BEAM!" she yelled. As she spoke the words, the energy rocketed across the room, from her fingertip to the very centre of the shadow in the corner. Its golden light illuminated the room with a beautiful, ethereal glow, as if they were directly under the light of the planet Venus itself. Zetsubun screamed as her body was torn apart, like a shadow beneath the rising sun. The scream faded along with her body, until it was nothing more than a hum, and then it was indiscernible to the human ear. Her body silently wavered in existence for a moment longer, before it finally disintegrated.

Sailor V stared at the spot where it had been for a moment, before turning to look down at Shizuka. She was beginning to stir. V exchanged a glance with Artemis, who smiled at her, the fog in his blue eyes lifted.

"Good job, Mina," he said with honest admiration in his voice. "I'm proud of you."

Sailor V smiled, and closed her eyes. With a flash, her combat uniform was gone and the mask across her eyes disappeared. Her school uniform returned.

"M… Mina… chan…" groaned Shizuka, from the ground. Her eyes fluttered open to rest on the blonde girl who crouched beside her. Her face was covered in cuts and bruises and her uniform was torn and frayed, but in spite of this, she smiled brightly.

"It's okay now," said Minako. "It's gone."

Shizuka frowned, puzzled, and then she seemed to understand. She smiled back. "Thank-you, Mina-chan," she said, her voice full of gratitude. "Thank-you so much."

"Don't thank me," replied Minako. "Thank Sailor V."

A puzzled expression returned to Shizuka's face. "Sailor V?" she asked, honestly confused. "The videogame character?"

Minako raised a hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh. Shizuka stared at her for a moment, more confused than ever, and then suddenly burst into laughter herself. Minako joined her, and the pair of them laughed, loud and clear, a simultaneous release of relief and joy. They continued to do so until a third voice suddenly spoke up behind them, in a tone several leagues away from being humorous.

"What on earth happened in here!" cried Shizuka's mother, who stood in the doorway, taking in the debris-covered room and her daughter, laying on the floor with Minako, with her torn uniform. Her expression was not so much anger as it was sheer mystification, disbelief at what her eyes were showing her.

Finally, she managed to speak again. "Were you two… fighting!"

Minako and Shizuka looked at one another, then looked at her, and then looked back at one another again. Then, once more, they burst into laughter, even louder and longer than before.

Shizuka's mother stood in the doorway of the wrecked bedroom, staring open-mouthed at the two girls who giggled like idiots amidst the mess. She noticed with a start that the white cat was sitting next to them. If she hadn't known any better, she could have sworn he was grinning too.

Finally, Shizuka's laughs subsided, and she rose to a sitting position with her back against the bed. She smiled at her mother, who was still staring at them expectantly.

"Mama," she said, her voice threatening to erupt into giggles again. "I'm alright now."

She smiled widely at Minako, who smiled back, and then back at her mother.

"I'm going to be fine."


	9. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

She was late.

A little over a month later, on a warm evening in Juuban, Tokyo, Hashishita Shizuka stood outside the movie theatre, glancing impatiently at her watch. The plan had been to meet Minako at 8:15, with the movie starting at 8:30. It was now approaching 8:25, and there was still no sign of her. Shizuka had already entered the building and purchased the tickets for both of them. Where _was_ she?

Shizuka sighed. She decided to give it another minute, and if Minako hadn't shown up by then, she'd go in by herself and hope that Minako would be able to find her.

"Shizuka-chaaaaaaan!"

She turned to see Minako charging towards her, her trademark red ribbon bouncing up and down atop her blonde head. Shizuka frowned as she noticed that she was with somebody. A boy, no less!

Shizuka smiled. Did Minako have a new boyfriend? She grinned as Minako screeched to a halt in front of her. She bent over, her hands on her knees, and panted in a most unladylike fashion for a few seconds, before standing straight again and grinning widely.

"Sorry I'm late!" she said apologetically. "I bumped into an old friend of mine!"

She shot the boy a glance. "Isn't that right, Susumu-kun?"

The boy known as Susumu nodded. "That's right," he concurred.

"Susumu-kun, this is my friend, Shizuka-chan," Minako told him.

He smiled at Shizuka, a smile that she returned. She noticed then that he really was a handsome boy, with striking eyes and a dazzling smile. He was tall, also, and looked athletic. His hair was nice, too, short and dark and just a little bit messy. She found herself blushing as he held out his hand politely. She hoped the evening light would obscure it.

"Pleased to meet you," he said, as he took her hand and shook it firmly.

"L-likewise," stuttered Shizuka, stammering in spite of her best efforts not to.

He ended the handshake about twenty minutes too early for Shizuka's tastes. She opened her mouth to remind Minako about the movie that was starting in only a couple of minutes, but stopped as Minako reached into her pocket and produced a small, rectangular object. Shizuka stared at it, trying to determine what it was.

"It's my pager!" Minako said by way of explanation. She scanned the screen on it, and then widened her eyes in an impressive display of shock. "Oh my!" she gasped. "Artemis has got stuck in a tree! I'll have to go and rescue him!"

She turned to walk away, and then made a show of turning back. She grinned sheepishly at Shizuka, who was staring at her, nonplussed. She hadn't known Minako owned a pager!

"Shizuka-chan…" said Minako, pressing her hands together as if offering a prayer. "I've got to go, this is an emergency," she said.

Shizuka sighed. "But I've already brought the tickets, and the movie starts in a few minutes!"

Minako's eyes lit up and she giggled deviously. "Well… I seem to recall from long, long ago that Susumu-kun here enjoys Fukami Rica movies just as much as I do," she said. She glanced at him again. "Isn't that right?"

Susumu nodded. "Sure," he said. Shizuka smiled at him again. He was so laid back and easy going!

"Well, then, it's settled!" Minako declared. "You two will see the movie while I rescue Artemis from the drain."

"Wasn't Artemis stuck in a tree?" Shizuka asked, with a tone of mock innocence that indicated she had no idea about her friends' obvious ploy.

Minako's eyes widened, and then she giggled, toying with the red ribbon in her hair. "I just looked again, he fell out of the tree but landed in a drain! Now he's really stuck!"

"Well, you'd better go and help him, then," replied Shizuka. The two of them exchanged a grin that conveyed not only to Minako that Shizuka knew about her plan and appreciated it, but also conveyed to Shizuka that Minako knew she knew about her plan, and she was very welcome.

"I'll see you later, then!" cried Minako. "Have fun, you two!"

With that, she raced away.

"Wait!" Shizuka cried after her quickly diminishing shape. "What about the ticket?"

"That's okay," said Susumu from beside her. "I'll pay for that."

Shizuka turned to him with a grin. "Thanks," she said. He smiled back, and boy, he was handsome, and for a moment Shizuka thought she was going to actually faint. She tore her eyes down to look at her watch, which told her it was 8:28. She looked back up at him. "We'd better get moving!" she said. "The movie starts in a couple of minutes."

He nodded once. "After you," he said, gesturing politely to the door.

Shizuka nodded and made her way to the entrance of the movie theatre, Susumu following close behind. As they made their way inside, side by side, Shizuka snatched the occasional glance at him. He didn't look much like Yukio, but he was incredibly handsome nonetheless. She thought back to her first boyfriend. He'd been wonderful, that was for sure. But while thinking of him gave her a fond feeling inside, it didn't hurt anymore.

"You want anything?" asked Susumu, pulling her out of her thoughts. She stopped and looked back to see him pointing towards the refreshment counter. Shizuka shook her head with a grateful smile. "Thanks," she replied, "but I'll be fine."

They continued on. Shizuka tried to resume her train of thought, but it had been derailed by Susumu and she couldn't for the life of her remember what she'd been thinking about in the first place. She snatched another glance up at him, and flushed red as he glanced back down at her. They both looked away, doing their best to conceal a grin and failing miserably.

They reached the screening room and stepped inside just as the movie was about to begin.

"_Thanks, but I'll be fine."_

And fine she was.

**THE END**


End file.
